


Closure

by anilinkz0985



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Siblings, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2016-12-03
Packaged: 2018-05-10 14:45:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 29,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5590240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anilinkz0985/pseuds/anilinkz0985
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroko and the Kiseki no Sedai as siblings fic. AU. Inspired by Forbidden by The Eternal Empress. Kaga&GOM/Kuro (First story fic so please be kind.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Kuroko Tetsuya believed he was lucky.

How many people were as fortunate as him? As a young boy Kuroko was raised in the orphanage. His mother passed away giving birth to him while his father did not want him. He was named Kuroko because he was quiet as a shadow. A shadow is black. His first name came from the man that found him.

It wasn't until he turned 5 that something happened. Something that changes his life forever. You see, on the day Kuroko was turning 8 the orphanage was having a special day. It was the day the kids would have a family. But Kuroko had no hope in that because of his weak presence.

Whenever a family comes, they would always never see him. The women working in the orphanage also never sees him. So sometimes, he's not even called. He was left alone.

He also had no friends in the orphanage because of his lack of presence. All the kids thought that Kuroko was a ghost and ran away whenever he came near them. Thinking that he'll be forever alone, Kuroko didn't even bother getting ready for the special day. Instead, he took a book and read it in the corner of the room.

Kuroko could hear the nurse. The family was here. For some reason, everyone sounded more perked up than usual. But Kuroko continued reading. He kept on reading until the door to the room opened.

A man came in. He had brown hair and eyes. "It seems this is wrong room." He looked at Kuroko's direction. Kuroko was not expecting the man to notice him so he went back to reading his book. He heard footsteps and felt someone's presence near him. Kuroko looked up. It was the man.

"Hello" the man said "Why are you sitting here?" Kuroko didn't answer. The man's aura was extremely intimidating and his eyes were so insightful it felt like Kuroko's soul was ripped from his body. "I won't hurt you." The man said. "What is your name?" Kuroko looked up. "Kuroko Tetsuya." The man smiled. "Why are you here, Kuroko?" Kuroko politely said "I have low presence, sir. The family won't notice me therefore there is no reason for me to see them. My body is also very weak."

The man blinked his eyes. It was true that if he had not seen the book in Kuroko's hand, he probably missed him as well. He felt unbelievable sympathy for the child.

"How old are you?" Kuroko once again politely said "5 today." The man looked surprised. "It's your birthday?" Kuroko shook his head. "Today is the day when they found me at the orphanage door." The man face turned solemn. The child was very mature for his age. It was impressive yet extremely sad at the same time. "Doesn't the orphanage celebrate this day?" Kuroko shrugged. "They can't see me and I am a forgettable kind of person." The man just couldn't believe what the child was saying. He made up his mind.

Kuroko saw the man extend his arm. "Come with me, Tetsuya. From today on, I, Akashi Masaomi will be your father." Kuroko blinked. He couldn't believe what he heard. He thought it was his destiny to be forever alone. And yet...a man... a man wants to adopt him in the family. Tears started to fall from his eyes. It was a the best present ever. With a watery smile, Kuroko accepted the man's hand.

The man took Kuroko to the main hallway. He introduced Kuroko to is wife. His wife had blonde hair and eyes. At first, she was surprised but after that she absolutely adored him. The adoption process was underway. It took time for it to be completed because the people at the orphanage had to find Kuroko's file. Once that was done, Kuroko took his belongings and went with the couple who is now his parents.

On the car ride to the house, the couple described their family. Apparently, the house they are going to belongs to the man. He was previously married but his wife died giving birth to his son. Knowing that he needs a mother for his child, he married his current wife.

The woman's name is Akashi Ryoka-formerly known as Kise Ryoka-she was once married before like her current husband. Her first husband died in a car accident when he was on his way to see his wife give birth to their child. When she met Akashi-san, they realized they were on the same boat. So, for the sake of their child, they married.

When their children turned 3, Akashi-san's best friend passed away due to a crime incident. The man was the chief of the police force. They adopted the child of the man into their family because the mother become unstable after her husband's death.

Alongside the three children, two other children living in the house. One child is Akashi-san's sister's son. But he grew up in the house so Akashi-san considers the child as his own. Another child is the son of Ryoka-san's cousin. The child has no father. Her cousin is terribly sick so Ryoka-san takes care of him for her.

By the time, the story of the family was done they had reached the house. It was...huge. Kuroko cannot believe this is now his house.

There was a huge gate in front of the house painted in black. A man was sitting in front of the gate. He opened the gate after he bowed to Akashi-san and Ryoka-san. There was a long road that lead to the house. The road splits in two because there is a fountain in the middle of the road. Finally, they arrived at the house. It was a three storey house that was long. In the middle of the house there was a house mahogany door. In front of the door were white marble stairs that shined as if it was brand new. A man was sitting in front of the mahogany door. He opened the door of the car and bowed "Welcome Sir and Madame."

Akashi-san stepped out of the car. "Please welcome our son." he told the man "He is a little hard to notice but treat with just as much respect as everyone else in my family." The man lowered his head some more. "Of course" Akashi-san turned to Kuroko. "Go on Tetsuya" he encouraged. Kuroko went up to the man. He politely bowed "Nice to meet you."

The man was startled by Kuroko's appearance at first, then he gave a kind smile. "It's nice to meet you, Young Master. My name is Tatsuro. What is your name, Young Master." Kuroko stared at him with big eyes. "Kuroko Tetsuya." The man's smile widened. "A pleasure to meet you young master."

After that, Kuroko followed his parents into the house. As soon as they walk through the house, rows of maids in uniform greeted him. They bowed and simultaneously said "Welcome home." They kept on walking till they came into a huge living room. In the middle of the living room were 3 expensive leather couches. Sitting on the couches were 5 kids with hair colors of a rainbow. Kuroko knew that they were his brothers.

"Children" Akashi-san said. "Meet your new brother, Kuroko Tetsuya." The children looked at their father. "Who are you talking about Uncle?" A boy with matching green hair and eyes asked. Akashi-san pointed to his side. Everyone looked there but noticed nothing except a flash of blue...Wait...a flash of blue. Upon closer inspection, they found a boy with unbelievably soft sky blue hair and breathtaking matching eyes.

Kuroko noticed that they were staring at him so he politely bowed to them. A boy with vivid red hair and matching eyes came up to him. (A/N Imagine Kid Akashi from episode 73 I believe) The boy gave a warm smile and reached his hand out "Hi, I am Akashi Seijurou" he said "Welcome to your new home." Kuroko was surprised at first but he gave a warm smile of his own. Everyone stared at him because his smile was so beautiful. Kuroko took Akashi's hand and said "I am Kuroko Tetsuya, Please take care of me from now on...Aniki."

Thus begins Kuroko's new life with his brother's begin.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 10 years after the prologue with flashbacks  
> A slow start to the stroy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple of this fics chapter is already written.  
> I'm just trying to find time to post it.

Kuroko opened his eyes. "The same dream" he said to himself. It's been 10 years since he was adopted into the Akashi family and a lot of things had changed that day. One change that happened was at the age of 9, he realized that he had feeling for his brothers. Feelings that he should not be having. He started to understand what it felt like for those whose feelings were unrequited.

The sunlight glared into his room waking him up from his drowsiness. He got up from his bed and stretched his body and looked at his alarm lock. He still had time but Kuroko got up anyway. He walked to the bathroom but stopped halfway looking at a picture. It was a picture of him with his brothers at his 5th birthday.

_Flashback_

A few days after Kuroko came to the Akashi family, a blonde haired boy with matching eyes came up to him. "How do you do Kurokocchi?" He said. "I'm Kise Ryouta but you can call me Ryota-nii."

Kuroko blinked "Kurokocchi?" Kise smiled. "I add cchi to the names of all the people I like and who are around my age." Kuroko grimaced. "Could I ask you to stop?" Kise laughed. "Sorry but no" Kuroko sighed.

"Anyway Kurokocchi," Kise said "Since you are new I was thinking you probably wanted to know more about your brothers." Kuroko nodded. "That sounds nice."

Kise smiled. He immediately left the room and came back with his other brothers. "Ryouta, you aren't forcing Tetsuya to agree to one of your stupid ideas are you?" Akashi asked. Kise pouted "How rude. I just thought Kurokocchi would like to know more about us and since we are curious about him this is the perfect opportunity." Akashi raised his eye "I'm surprised you are actually capable of thinking something like that." Kise pouted some more.

Akashi turned to look at Kuroko. "You already know who I am but here is a full detail. I am Akashi Seijurou. I was born on December 20, Sagittarius. My blood type is AB. I like horse riding, shogi, go, international chess and reading. My favorite food is tofu soup and I don't like dogs. By the way, even though we are the same age we've established rankings amongst ourselves. I am no. 1 therefore the oldest."

Kise smiled "~My turn.~" He said in a sing song voice. "I'm Kise Ryouta. I was born on June 18, Gemini. My blood type is A. I like to sing karaoke and acting. My favorite food is Onion Gratin Soup. I don't like earthworms and Unagi. I am no 5 therefore the youngest after you Kurokocchi."

A tan boy with blue hair and matching eyes swung an arm over Kise and gave Kuroko a big smile. "I'm Aomine Daiki. I was born on August 31, Virgo. My blood type is B. I like basketball and teriyaki burgers but I hate bees and goya. I am no 3 therefore the third oldest."

The green haired megane with matching eyes cleared his throat. He was wearing a scarf for some reason. "I am Midorima Shintarou. I was born July 7, Cancer. My blood type is B. I like to play chess or shogi or piano and listen to classical music. My favorite food is red bean soup and I absolutely hate cats and natto. I am the second oldest of the family therefore no 2."

The last brother had purple hair and eyes. He was eating a bag of chips. He noticed everyone was staring at him. "What?" The other brothers sighed. "It's your turn to introduce yourself." Akashi told him. "Ah, Murasakibara Atsushi, October 9, Libra. Blood type is O. I like to eat, go to sweet stores, make pastries and sleep. My favorite food is Nerunerune candy. I hate crows and vegetables. I am no 4.

Akashi turned to look at Kuroko. "Your turn." He said with a smile. Kuroko blinked. "I am Kuroko Tetsuya. I do not know my birthday or blood type..." He was interrupted by Aomine. "Wait...you don't know your birthday?" Kuroko shook his head. "I was raised in an orphanage. So the day I was found became my date of birth. All they knew was that I was from 19XX because I looked barely a few days old."

Everyone was surprised by the info. "What about the hospital?" Midorima asked. "They checked the nearby hospitals but apparently I am not from any of them." Kuroko answered.

Everyone was quite. Kuroko didn't seem to understand why they were quiet so he continued. "I like vanilla milkshakes, observing people and reading. But I don't like cola. In terms of numbers I guess I am no 6?"

Akashi nodded. "Yes you are, therefore you are the youngest." Kise squealed "Finally!" He said "Someone younger than me." Aomine sighed. "You know a family of 6 kids are quite rare these days." Midorima rolled his eyes. "Relax, auntie only wants 6 kids in the family which includes me and Murasakibara."

He turned to Kuroko. "What is the day the orphanage took you in?" Kuroko blinked "January 31st." Midorima nodded. "Since you were only a few days old, you are without a doubt an Aquarius. I will talk to Father and see if he can test what is your blood type. Information like these are important." he said pushing up his glasses. "By the way, your lucky item is a movie." Kuroko blinked. He seems to be doing that a lot. "Lucky item?" Aomine gave an exasperated look. "The megane over here is a big horoscope nut. He listens to Oha-asa _everyday_ and carries their requested lucky items _**every**_ goddamn day."

Midorima was about argue with Aomine when Kise gave a loud shout. "January 31st!?" he exclaimed "That was a few days ago!" Kuroko nodded. "We need to celebrate!" Kise exclaimed. Kuroko frowned. "It's okay. You don't need to." Akashi shook his head. "No Ryouta is right." he said "We need to celebrate." With that the other brothers quickly went to get the celebrations ready.

During preparation time , Kuroko learned that Akashi is very mature for his age. He was able to give each brother something to do and not a single movement was wasted. Once the Akashi couple came, the party began. They first played tag where Kuroko observed Aomine's athleticism. After that, to calm down and relax they decided to play charades where Kuroko was impressed by Kise's acting ability.

Finally, the birthday cake came. It was vanilla flavoured and made with some help from Murasakibara. Everyone sang _Happy Birthday_ while Midorima provided the tune on his piano. Overall, it was a wonderful day. So when his brother asked him what wanted as a present, Kuroko gave a wide smile-surprising his brothers- and said "Something to commemorate this day." So Ryouka-san said "Let's take a picture." Thus the picture on Kuroko's room came to be. It was the best day of Kuroko's life.

_Present Time._

Kuroko tore his eyes away from the picture. It was definitely a wonderful memories and it was memories like these that made him fall in love with his brothers. If someone were to ask him when did he fall in love...he wouldn't have an answer. Is someone ask why did he fall in love...he wouldn't have an answer. If someone asked what made him fall in love...he would say everything. That's all there is to it.

Kuroko freshened up in the washroom. He went to his closet and took out a box. The box had a combination lock. Only Kuroko knows the combination. This box is his special box that had all of his special mementos. One of these is a star shape necklace. It was given to him by Ryouka-san on his 6th birthday.

_Flashback_

"Tetsuya, could you come here please." Ryouka-san called him. Kuroko was playing with Kise and Aomine. He excused himself and went to see Ryouka-san.

"Yes Mother." Ryouka-san put something in Kuroko's hand. It was star shape necklace. "This necklace was given to me by my mother." She said. "I loved it so much I decided that the number of children I have will be based on that necklace. 5 for each point of a star and a 6th one to represent the centre that joins them to form the star." Ryouka-san smiled at Kuroko. "Consider it as a late 6th birthday present and keep it with you."

Even since that day, the necklace has become his treasure. For some reason, wearing it feels like he's the centre of the star Ryouka-san was talking about. It gave him strength to bear these feelings. It gave him strength to believe that even if these feelings would never be reciprocated, as long as he was by their sides...that's all that matters.

_Present Time_

But now...Kuroko isn't sure if that's going to help now. Things have changed from back then. His brothers are considered geniuses and like all geniuses they have reached a certain point. The point where society constantly watches you to the point where the thing you once love is no longer fun. But Kuroko is not like his brothers. He is not a genius and so while his brothers flourished Kuroko was left behind. Being left behind the one you love is painful. It is so painful that Kuroko cannot describe it.

After Kuroko got dressed, he went to Kise's room. Kuroko has officially been given the responsibility to wake up Aomine and Kise. Kise and Aomine are night owls rather than morning larks as a result, it is really hard to wake them up. It seemed that only Akashi could do it until Kuroko came into the family. Kuroko at the first try was able to wake up Aomine and Kise just like Akashi. When everyone asked how he did it, Kuroko would give a sneaky smile and say "It's a secret." This made everyone annoyed but Akashi was amused. Thus Kuroko was officially given the responsibility of waking up Aomine and Kise.

Kuroko did not mind the responsibility. It made Kuroko felt closer to Aomine and Kise because they were comfortable with Kuroko looking at their sleeping faces. Considering how private the two of them are about their feelings, Kuroko thought it was great honor.

Kuroko opened Kise's door and his the room. He looked at Kise who was sleeping soundly with one leg and arm wrapped around a body pillow. He looked so cute like a golden retriever puppy. Before he knew it, Kuroko was petting Kise's hair. It was soft and fluffy just like always. "Kise-nii" Kuroko said "It's time to wake up." Kise mumbled something and ducked his head underneath the pillow. Kuroko sighed. Kise did come home at 3 in the morning. Kise's popularity as a model is high as ever so he's been assigned to more and more work. Kuroko looked at the clock in Kise's room. He is still early so Kuroko lets Kise sleep a bit more.

Nearby Kuroko's feet is one of the magazines that is featuring Kise as a model. Kuroko picks up the magazine and goes over the picture. This is the first time Kuroko is looking at Kise's work as a model. Kuroko never looked at Kise's pictures before because he was never interested at these sort of things. Later on when Kuroko realized his feeling, he avoided them even more because seeing Kise looking good in model clothes would not be good for his heart. As he scanned through the pictures, Kise is as handsome as ever but there is something off about the pictures. 'His smile' Kuroko thought 'It's not his real smile.' It ached Kuroko's heart deeply seeing Kise put on a fake smile.

As a young child, Kuroko always thought Kise's smile was like the sun after a terrible thunderstorm or blizzard. It was warm and hopeful. Kise was always gave a true smile whenever he was with Kuroko and his brothers and Kuroko absolutely loved those smiles. But as Kise's talent as a model and basketball player were recognized as a genius, those smiles became more and more fake.

"Why are looking at those pictures?" Before Kuroko knew it, arms were wrapped around his stomach and he was sitting on Kise's lap. Kise brought his lips to Kuroko's ear and whispered "When you look at the real one is right here for you." Kuroko's heart leaped to his throat because of Kise's voice and nearly blushed because he felt Kise's warm breath in his ear. Luckily, he controlled his blush and said "Are those the kind of lines you tell your girlfriend?" Kise gave a teasing smile and rested his chin on Kuroko's shoulder "~Maybe~"

Kuroko frowned "I wonder if I should ask Midorima-nii to give you a medical checkup?" Kise blinked "Why!?" Kuroko-despite his racing heart-gave him a blank look "You woke up early despite coming home so late." Kise pouted "So mean. I can wake up early too you know" Kuroko raised an eyebrow at him. Kise sighed "Fine. I was able to wake up because I had a really soothing dream."

"I see" Kuroko said as he reluctantly pulled Kise's hand out from his stomach and got up from Kise's lap. "Where are you going?" Kise asked. "I have to wake up Aomine-nii." Kuroko said. Kise grabbed Kuroko's hand. "You can stay here a while longer." Kise said with hopeful eyes. Kuroko almost complied to Kise's wish but he shook his head. "Aomine-nii takes a while to get up."

Kise sighed "Fine" and he let go of Kuroko's hand. He muttered something underneath his breath. "Did you say something?" Kuroko asked. "Nothing" Kise said with a fake smile. Kuroko pursed his lips and went to Kise's door. He stopped before he left the room. "You don't have to force yourself to smile if you don't want to." Kuroko left Kise's room with that advice not even noticing the shocked look on Kise's face.

As Kuroko closed the door, he nearly collapsed on the floor. He finally told Kise what he wanted to say ever since he started seeing Kise put on those fake smile last year. With a shaky breath, he steadied himself and headed for Aomine's room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DONE! Sorry for the slow pace. Hope you guys like this chapter and not very confused with this chapter. Please R&R!


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morning and School life of Kuroko and his brothers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Hope you like the last chapter. Btw, this story is an AU that doesn't follow the main storyline at all. Mentions basketball but is not a centre plot point.

Kuroko's heart was still beating as he went to Aomine's room. He took a few breaths to calm his heart down. Finally he was at Aomine's door. Aomine's room was just like Kise's except Kise's room had a lot of sunlight coming in. This made his room very bright. Aomine's room doesn't get as much sunlight so his room is very dark. As Kuroko entered the room he saw Aomine sleeping messily. Kuroko always thought it suits his personality.

"Aomine-nii" Kuroko said shaking Aomine. "It's time to wake up."" Aomine grumbled underneath his breath. Kuroko felt a sudden force in his arm. The next thing he knows, he's body is wrapped around by Aomine's arm. "What!?" Kuroko was completely flustered. He tried to squirm away but it was no use. After a while, Kuroko stopped squirming. His face was completely red because he felt Aomine's warmth and smelled Aomine's scent.

Kuroko was nearly tempted to lie down and relax in his arms. He felt Aomine's hand slip underneath his shirt. Kuroko looked at Aomine. Aomine was still in deep slumber. Aomine's arm went up Kuroko's upper body. His thumb is on Kuroko's nipple. "Washboard" Aomine muttered. Kuroko eyebrows twitched.

A loud scream was heard throughout the mansion. Kuroko got off the bed as Aomine sweared like no tomorrow. "THE HELL!?" He looked at the offender. "TETSU!? What the hell are you doing?" Kuroko gave Aomine a blank look. "I came to wake you up." Aomine gave a disbelief look "What kind of wake up call was that!?" Kuroko turned away. "The type you give to idiots."

Aomine grumbled "Why the hell are you even waking me up so early? I don't need to go to practice since everyone's so weak." Kuroko's heart brittled. For Aomine- who used to love playing basketball more than anything-to say such things is gut wrenching. The reason why Kuroko like to watch and playbasketball was because of Aomine.

_Flashback_

"Hey Tetsu!" Aomine called out to Kuroko. Kuroko looked up from his book. He was now 6 years old. "What is it Aomine-nii?" Kuroko asked. "Play some basketball with me." Aomine said. Kuroko tilted his head. "Basketball?" Aomine smiled "I'll show you." Kuroko followed Aomine to their mansions basketball court.

Aomine showed Kuroko a couple of tricks. It was a lot of fun. Every time Aomine put the ball in the hoop, Kuroko would either gasp in surprise or cheer and clap. Aomine was smiling the entire time. Kuroko's reaction to Aomine plays were so cute.

"C'mon" Aomine said "I'll teach you how to do it." Kuroko happily went to Aomine. Aomine and Kuroko spent the rest of the day playing basketball. Despite the amount of physical work and Aomine winning every game, Kuroko had a wide smile on his face. Aomine was smiling too. Kuroko really did have a wonderful smile.

_Present Time_

Tears prickled Kuroko's eye but he kept his voice calm and natural. "Even so, you still have school and Murasakibara-nii won't make breakfast just for you. You'll either eat it now or never." Aomine perked up at the mention of Murasakibara's cooking. "Oh shoot!" Aomine said "Guess I better hurry or Kise will eat all the meat."

Kuroko left Aomine's room and headed for the dining room. He was walking at a slow pace. Back when they were young, all of Kuroko's brothers would smile brightly. And no matter, they always made time for Kuroko. It's probably the driving force that made Kuroko love them. That despite being a no one, they would always consider Kuroko as someone important to them. But now…Kuroko sighed "Are we even a family now?"

He walked into the dining space and was greeted by the familiar smell of Murasakibara's cooking. Akashi and Midorima were already in the table and eating. Kuroko greeted his older siblings "Good morning Akashi-nii and Midorima-nii." Akashi gave Kuroko a small smile. "Good morning Tetsuya." Midorima nodded in acknowledgement. Murasakibara set down a plate of food for Kuroko. "Good morning Murasakibara-nii." Kuroko smiled at the purple haired giant. Murasakibara ruffled Kuroko's hair. "Morning Kuro-chin."

Kuroko swatted his brother's hand away. he hates being treated as a kid. He might be the "youngest" in the group but he is still the same age as them. Kuroko took a spoon of his breakfast into his mouth. He internally sighed 'It's the same.' Kuroko sadly thought.

Since Kuroko grew up in the orphanage, his appetite was small due to the amount of food they serve. Once he came to the mansion, his appetite had grown because Murasakibara's food tasted so good. It was filled with warmth and love. But as Murasakibara's talent as a chef and as a basketball player were recognized, his food changed. They still tasted really good, but Kuroko can no longer felt the warmth and love in it. As a result, Kuroko couldn't eat as much as he wanted to.

Murasakibara frowned "Does Kuro-chin not like my food?" Kuroko shook his head "It's good." Murasakibara crossed his arms. "You say that but you don't eat as much as you used too." All of Kuroko's brother noticed the sudden change in his appetite. They took him to the doctor but the doctor said he was fine. Akashi tried to convince Kuroko to eat a bit more but Kuroko would later vomit. As a result, him and Midorima created a diet chart for him with Midorima's father's help to ensure that despite his little appetite, Kuroko would still get all the nutrients he needed.

Kise came into the living room at that moment. He greeted everyone and everyone greeted him back. Kise took a seat next to Kuroko. He looked at Kuroko's plate. "Are you going to be fine with such little food?" Kise asked with a concerned look. Kuroko stared at Kise before he he averted his eyes to his plate. "I'm not really hungry."

Aomine showed up at that moment, he took his seat and said "I'm hungry." Murasakibara set down Aomine's plate. Aomine looked at the plate. "What's with the amount of food?" Aomine asked Murasakibara. Murasakibara frowned "Mine-chin took too long to come." Aomine wanted to argue more but Akashi's glare made him quiet as he grumpily ate his food. Once everyone was done with their meals, everyone headed for school.

The school the brothers are currently attending is Teikou High. It is a well known school with first class facilities and a good education system. This year the school received extra attention due to Kuroko's brothers or otherwise known as the Generation of Miracles. The five of them were each known to have an exceptional talent at a certain area.

Kise was known for his good looks. Therefore in just 2 years, he became a superstar class model. Girls want him as their boyfriend and guys wished they were living Kise's life. Kise could already have an acting career but Kise wanted to become an adult first before he thinks of starting any career.

Aomine was a world class athlete. It didn't matter what sport he played, his superb athleticism made him dominate in all sports. Although, he is more fond of playing basketball over all the other sports. He was asked to join the NBA but Akashi-san said that Aomine should finish his studies first.

Murasakibara was known to be a genius chef. He can cook almost any dish but desserts are his speciality. His pastries are well loved by people around the world, top class chefs from France wanted to take him in as their apprentice but he didn't want to go because it was too much effort.

Midorima is a world renowned composer. His music has touched those that had their hearts made of iron. When asked if he wishes to trail down the paths of a musician, Midorima refused saying he wants to be a doctor. Most people would have thought he was being ridiculous but Midorima had the brains to support his wish. His intelligence was the highest after Akashi.

Lastly but certainly not the least is Akashi. He is probably known as the first perfect human being. He is perfect at everything. It didn't matter if it was academics or athletics, Akashi was always at the top. Not to mention, since he is from a wealthy family, he was able to get whatever he wanted. Except for one thing, Akashi can't have his freedom. Akashi is the sole blood heir of the Akashi family, as a result Akashi's fate was decided. Unlike his brothers who have control over their future, Akashi had no control of his. The Akashi family has decided that Akashi would take over the family business and settle down with the woman they believe is suitable for him.

Then there is Kuroko, the "youngest of the brothers". He was a totally average guy. He wasn't as good looking as Kise. In fact unlike Kise who demands attention, Kuroko is almost never spared a glance. He is not athletic like Aomine, in fact he is probably the weakest athlete. The only thing he can cook is eggs and his intelligence level is only average. But what totally separates him from his brothers is that he does not have a presence. He was like the shadow. He was just...there.

Kuroko arrived at his school, no one knows that Kuroko and the GoM are related except for the principle. But the school does know that Kise and Akashi are brothers since their parents are famous and married to one another. The brothers agreed that it's way too much of a hassle if the truth went out. So they decided to keep it quiet. As a result, they don't walk or drive together to school. It saddened Kuroko but it had to be done. Occasionally, they would come in pairs.

By the time Kuroko reached the gate, he was surprised to find Midorima at the gate. "Midorima-kun" Kuroko said. Due to his lack of presence, Kuroko's surprise appearance shocked Midorima. "What are you doing here at the gate?" Midorima looked at Kuroko. "Did you forget that the two of us are on library duty?" Kuroko blinked. "No, but Midorima-kun what about your work?" Due to Midorima fame as music composer. Famous people would come to him to make music for them. "I finished all the work that is due. All of my other assignments are not needed until much later, so I can help out." Midorima said. "Do you need any help?"

Kuroko felt very happy inside. He got to spend time with Midorima. Amongst all the brothers, Midorima was the brother he spent the least amount of time with. This was because they were always busy when the other was free. Kuroko was about Midorima's offer but then he remembered 'Because of your incompetence, I am behind my work.' Kuroko looked down on the ground and bit his tongue. "It's okay, I don't need any help."

Midorima stared at Kuroko. "Are you sure? Like I said, I have plenty of time to help you." Kuroko was very tempted to accept the help but he stayed clear from his temptation. "I really am alright." Kuroko said in a quiet yet strong voice. "You should simply focus on your work so that people can't find an opportunity to dent your reputation." Kuroko was still looking down on the ground as he said those lines. He didn't need to look up to notice Midorima was staring at him intensely. Finally, Midorima looked away and sighed. He muttered something underneath his breath and walked away. Kuroko looked up and wondered what Midorima muttered.

It was lunch time. Kuroko was getting ready to go to the rooftop for lunch when "Tetsu-kun!", a loud voice called out his name. Kuroko turned to see Momoi Satsuki was calling out for him in front of the class door. Kuroko gave a soft smile and went up to Momoi. "Hello Momoi-san" Kuroko said. Momoi screamed. "Are you alright?" Kuroko asked with a concerned face. "Y-y-yes" Momoi said with a shaky breath. "I was just surprised." She smiled at Kuroko "Anyway Tetsu-kun" she said "I came to pick you up for lunch, everyone is waiting." Kuroko bowed "Thank you." Momoi blushed "No problem"

Momoi Satsuki is Aomine's childhood friend before he entered the Akashi household. Kuroko had seen the two of them talk to one another all the time and sometimes she would come over and play with Kuroko and the rest of his brothers. She became a close enough friends that she gave everyone "cute" nicknames like Kise and Murasakibara. Unfortunately at the age of 8, she moved to a different area.

Later on when Kuroko and his brothers entered middle school, Momoi was reunited with her friends from childhood. Somehow she developed a crush on Kuroko during the second year of middle school. She even confessed to him towards the end of second year. Kuroko had politely turned her down. Kuroko still remembers the conversation he had with his brothers about it.

_Flashback_

"Oi, Tetsu" Aomine said as he, Kuroko and the rest of the GoM were having one of their outings. "Satsuki told me she confessed to you." That seemed to have gotten the rest of his brothers attention as they all turned to look at Kuroko. "Yes" Kuroko said "Unfortunately I had to politely reject her."

"You rejected her? Why?" Kise asked "According to most of the guys in our school, she's the most prettiest girl in the whole school." Kuroko hummed "Probably because I'm into guys." You would have thought Kuroko was talking about the weather due to how casually he said it. Everyone was quiet as they tried to register what Kuroko said.

Finally Akashi broke the silence. "You are into guys?" he asked "Since when?" Kuroko tilted his head. "Not sure" he said "But I realized it around 2-3 years ago." Aomine blinked "And you finally decided to come out and tell us this now?" Kuroko hummed. "I didn't want to really hid it because I personally don't see what the big deal is." He said "I just never found a proper way to say it." Kise shrugged "Oh well, Kurokocchi is still Kurokocchi so I don't really care." All the other brothers agreed as well.

Kuroko smiled. "Thank you." Aomine swung an arm around Kuroko's shoulder. "So any particular guys you are attracted to?" he asked. Kuroko heart jumped to his throat but he kept calm. "There are a few guys I find attractive but I don't want to be in a relationship with them." Kise tilted his head. "Why?" Kuroko paused to think for a moment. "They are a little weird." No one said anything after that. They all ate their ice-creams and went home.

_Present Time_

Despite Kuroko rejecting her, Momoi still harbors feelings for him and as a result tried to get closer to Kuroko. Kuroko allowed her to be as a friend can be. Momoi is a kind and considerate girl. She would have been the perfect girlfriend. Kuroko hated the fact that he was the one who captured Momoi's heart when she could have been better off with a guy who would love her the way she deserves to be loved. Especially when…

"Yo" Aomine greeted the two of them. "Aomine-kun, you didn't show up for practice again!" Momoi reprimanded him. "Huh?" Aomine said with a carefree attitude "Oh, I fell asleep." Momoi got angry "Don't give that!" she was yelling "Especially since I know Tetsu-kun in charge of making sure you and Ki-chan make it to your morning duties on time."

"She's right, Aominecchi." Kuroko felt a weight on his back. Kuroko looked and noticed Kise was hugging him. "You shouldn't blame your time management skills since Kurokocchi takes care of it for you." Aomine glared at Kise. "I wasn't blaming Tetsu." he said "I was blaming the subway ride for being so borrowing that I had fallen asleep."

Kuroko sensed an argument coming so he quickly changed the subject. "Why are you here, Kise-kun?" he asked Kise. "Didn't you have job to do this afternoon?" Kise smiled at Kuroko "It got cancelled so I decided to come to school." Aomine gave Kise a weird look. "What about your girlfriend?" Kuroko's heart plummeted at the mention of Kise's girlfriend. Kise was currently dating a top model just like him. They got together at the start of Kise's high school year after Kise broke up with his ex during middle school graduation. He broke up with his third girlfriend. Kise shrugged "She busy."

Kuroko wanted to dodge the subject of Kise's girlfriend since it only emphasized how Kise could never be Kuroko's. "Hey isn't that Kise Ryouta?" Kuroko heard someone said. He turned and noticed people were whispering. "It is" someone else said. "I heard he's dating…" Another person exclaimed "No way! I'm so jealous." Kise grimaced "Looks like I'm attracting unwanted attention again."

He put his hand on Kuroko's shoulder and said "Let's hurry up to the rooftop." He took Kuroko with him. Aomine and Momoi shrugged and followed. Kuroko was the only one to notice the small smile on Aomine's face for being able to walk with Momoi. Kuroko grimaced at the sight of the smile but he kept it hidden. Kuroko really hated himself for capturing Momoi's heart since he's keeping her from someone that will love her the way she deserves to be loved. Especially when he knows that Aomine would be that perfect person. But what Kuroko really hates about himself is that deep down he is actually relieved that he does hold Momoi's heart because Aomine wouldn't be stolen from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Continuously sobbing) Why can't I make this story fluent and interesting? (sob) I have so many content to add to this story (sob) but it's pace is so slow (sob).
> 
> Oh well (smiling a Kise smile) Hope you like this chapter! Poor Kuroko! I sure made this angsty. For those of you who doesn't think it's angsty enough...dom't worry! There is more! (emotional people probably hates me right now) After all this story is a 3 arc story.
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
> Btw…
> 
> Did I mention it was a 3 arc story? Well for those that didn't know! This story is a 3 arc story. No clue how long each arc is.
> 
> Arc 1: The practice game before the actual main game.
> 
> Arc 2: The main story
> 
> Arc 3: The ending
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
> .
> 
> Btw.. Feel free to theorize what my story plot is going to be like...I won't tell you if you are close or not.
> 
> Please R&R (leaving with a Kise smile)


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continues on from last chapter and Kuroko does something different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Hope you like the last chapter! Let's move on to the new one! I don't own KNB!...it should be obvious...but for the sake of stating it, I state it.

When Kuroko and co. got to the rooftop, Kuroko's other brother's were waiting for them. Kuroko gave a polite greeting and started eating lunch with everyone else. After a while, a girl with blonde hair and a nice figure came to the rooftop. This girl was Tachibana Miyako. She was from a wealthy family-not as wealthy as Akashi-and the girl Akashi was betrothed to. This entire news was naturally kept quiet from rest of the public due to the Akashi family influence.

Tachibana immediately went to sit next to Akashi. Akashi did not pay much attention to her and continued to talk to Midorima about Shogi. Kuroko ducked his head down. It made him feel better Akashi was not paying attention to Tachibana but it still hurts to see them sit so close especially since she is Akashi's fiance.

Kuroko put down his lunch. "I'm done eating." he said "Please excuse me." He barely ate a quarter of his lunch. Everyone turned to look at Kuroko. Tachibana barely spared him a glance before she tried to get Akashi's attention. Akashi waved her off and told Kuroko "You barely ate anything." Kuroko shrugged "I'm not that hungry," He turned to Aomine and Murasakibara. "Please finish my lunch for me Aomine-kun and Murasakibara-kun since I don't like to waste." Kuroko excused himself again and left the rooftop.

Kuroko walked to the washroom. He looked a washroom stall and leaned into the door. He sighed "What am I doing?" He left the stall and went to the sink and sprayed water to his face. He dried his face and left the washroom. He saw a person hang something up on the bulletin board. Upon closer inspection, he noticed it was an ad for the pen pal program. Kuroko blinked. 'Sounds interesting' Kuroko thought. He looked at the fliers closer to get more information. The bell rang indicating that lunch time was over. Kuroko went to class.

Class went on like normal. After school Kise went up to Kuroko. "Kurokocchi, do you want to go home together?" Kuroko gave an apologetic smile. He really liked the idea of walking with Kise but..."I'm sorry but I have something to do right now." Kise blinked. "Something to do...what is it?" he asked. Kuroko explained his plans to Kise. "Ah...the pen pal program." Kise said. "Well, I think it's a good idea for Kurokocchi to join. After all you need to hang out with more people, despite the fact that person being on a separate continent."

...

"There is no one?" Kuroko said at the program's office. The person at the office sadly nodded. "Our pen pal programs are very popular." She said. "All the registered pen pals were taken by the end of third period." Kuroko sighed in depression "Is there not even a single person?" he asked in desperate hope. The office person thought for a minute. "Well...there is someone." she said. Kuroko looked up hopefully. "But the person is a special case."

"Special case?" Kuroko asked. "Yes, you see this person is currently studying in Japan." She said. "But the person was raised in America. The family came back to Japan last year. So in order to adjust to Japan's culture and language, the person's teacher suggested he join the pen pal program. If that is okay…" Kuroko nodded. "Please register me to this person." The office lady got to work. After a while, she handed Kuroko a somewhat crumpled envelope. She explained how the school transports mail during the second and fourth week of the month while receives mail during the first and third week of the month. Kuroko said his goodbye and left the office.

Kuroko was at his locker when he heard a voice say "Why do you hang out with that Kuroko?" It was Tachibana and she was talking to Akashi. "The others are all amazing people with incredible talent, but he is so plain and invisible." She said. "He is being nothing but a burden to you." If Akashi had said something to retaliate her, Kuroko didn't stick around to listen. It hurt so much.

When Kuroko got home, the first thing he did was go upstairs to his bedroom. He still remembered his manners and greeted everyone he saw. As soon as he was inside the room, he opened the letter and read what his pen pal had said. His pen pal name "Basketbaka". For some reason, Kuroko had an image of Aomine in his mind. The letter clearly showed that the person was raised in America because the grammar and spelling was...completely bad! But Kuroko still understood the basics of what letter was stating. After Kuroko finished reading the story, he put the letter in the box with his precious items.

Kuroko decided to immediately start writing since his letter is due this week. The person wrote in Japanese and so Kuroko has to write in English. He already decided on a name. "Blackshadow" which was english for black and shadow. But before he does anything, he needs to go somewhere.

Kuroko knocked on the door. He wondered if the person was inside at all. Thankfully, the door opened. Midorima came out as the door opened. He was looking for the person who knocked on the door. "Hello Midorima-kun." Kuroko said with a bow. Midorima looked down on the ground and noticed Kuroko was right in front of him. He jumped back in surprise. "I'm sorry for surprising you." Kuroko said apologetically. Midorima sighed. "It can't be helped." He said "What do you want?"

Kuroko asked if he could borrow Midorima's English to Japanese dictionary. Midorima nodded. He went back inside and returned with the dictionary. "May I ask why you want this?" Kuroko explained how he entered the pen pal program. Midorima silently listened. "I see." he said after Kuroko was done. "Come to my room after dinner. I'll help you write it." Kuroko blinked "Are you sure?" Midorima crossed his arms. "If I wasn't, I wouldn't have offered." Kuroko nodded his thanks. He was happy about the fact that he got to spend time with Midorima.

At his room, Kuroko spend the time finishing up his homework so that he would have time to write his letter. He was able to finish all the homework that was due within the next 2 days and some due on a later date. He figured it would be a good time to work on his letter now.

Knock Knock! Someone was knocking on his door. Kuroko opened his door to find one of the maids were at the door. "It's time to eat Master Tetsuya." The maids are used to is lack of presence since they live with him. "Thank you" Kuroko said politely.

...

At the dining table, all of Kuroko's brothers were already there. Kuroko took his seat and Murasakibara served his plate. Kuroko thanked him which resulted in Murasakibara patting his head and Kuroko swatting his hand away. During the time they eat Akashi would start the conversation as always. "I heard you joined the pen pal program, Tetsuya." Akashi said. Akashi always addressed Kuroko first since Kuroko barely speaks. This was a good opportunity for Kuroko to talk. Kuroko nodded. He didn't ask how Akashi knew since it's Akashi. "Tell us about your pen pal." Kuroko told him what he knew based off the letters. He didn't tell Akashi about bad spelling and grammar since it's not that big of a deal.

"I see" Akashi said. "If you need any help, I'm here." Kuroko smiled "Thank you Akashi-nii but Midorima-nii already offered to help me after dinner." Akashi paused his eating but it was too quick for anyone to notice. "I see" Akashi said slowly. Kuroko pushed his plate forward. "I'm done eating." Kuroko said. "Kuroko go to my room with your letter. I'll come and help you as soon as you are done eating." Kuroko politely nodded. "Please take your time."

Kuroko was left unaware of the looks his brothers gave to Midorima as soon as Kuroko left the room. He simply went to his room, got his letter and went to wait in Midorima's room. Midorima's room was exactly how Kuroko imagined it to be. It made his heart race. There was music sheets, a bookshelf and various items that were his lucky items from Oha-asa. Kuroko looked around the room. He didn't touch anything-even though he wanted to- because he didn't want to get Midorima mad.

The most interesting thing Kuroko found was the bookshelf. As a vivid reader, Kuroko enjoys all sorts of books. Most of his favorites are fictional work. Midorima's bookshelf had medical books, non-fiction books and fictions books. There were so many books that all four shelves were completely lined up with books. It was a small collection compare to the Akashi family library but overall a nice collection.

One particular book caught Kuroko's attention. It was poetry book and it had one particular poem that he liked. Kuroko reached up to grab the book. Once he got it, he went to the bed and started reading. As soon as Kuroko was half way done the book, Midorima entered the room. He looked at the book in Kuroko's hand.

"I didn't know you read poetry." Midorima said. Kuroko shrugged. "I glance at it from time to time." Kuroko said. "I suppose you read it to find inspiration for your music." Midorima raised an eyebrow. "Your observation is as sharp as ever." Kuroko looked down. He was trying not show his smile. "Shall we start the letter?" Midorima said. Kuroko nodded.

Midorima put his fingers at the bridge of his nose. "You didn't mention your pen pal had horrible spelling and grammar." Kuroko shrugged. "It didn't seem important." Midorima sighed. "Well I understood what was basically being said." With that Midorima set out to help Kuroko write his letter. They two of them spend a while on the letter. By the time they were done, it was time for bed.

Kuroko was the first to notice the time. His eyes widened in disbelief. "It's really late." He said as he quickly gathered his stuff. Midorima looked up at the clock. "How time flies." he said. "Well we've got the rough draft complete. All you need to do now is make the final copy." Kuroko bowed. "I'm sorry for taking up your time." Midorima turned to Kuroko "It's fine." Midorima said. "But don't you have to wake up early tomorrow since you are planning to drop by your house to get your lucky item for tomorrow?" Kuroko asked. Midorima furrowed his brows. "Did I ever mention that?" Kuroko nodded. "You mentioned it to Akashi-kun during lunch time." Midorima blinked. "I see. Don't worry about it. I'm used to having little sleep some nights."

This time Kuroko frowned. "That is not good at all." He said forcefully. "Midorima-kun you are planning to be a doctor. And a doctor's first duty is to take care of himself because that reassures the patient." Midorima blinked his eyes in surprise. Before he could say anything, Kuroko bowed. "I'm sorry I was being rude." He apologized in his regular tone. "It's fine." Midorima said "You should get going." Kuroko was about to leave but Midorima stopped him. "Yes?" Kuroko asked "You forgot this." Midorima said holding up his letter. Kuroko bowed in gratitude. He left the room in such a hurry that he didn't notice the small smile Midorima gave.

...

A few days later, it was the day Kuroko's letter was due. Kuroko decided to spend his lunch time finishing off the letter. With school work and everything, Kuroko couldn't give as much time as he could with his letter. He was able to finish everything except the last lines and the signature, so he decided to finish it off and submit during lunch time. Kuroko was so engaged in his letter that he didn't notice people whispering. All of a sudden, he felt a pain on top of his head.

"That hurts." Kuroko said. He looked up at the perpetrator. It was Aomine. "You're coming to the rooftop right?" he asked Kuroko. Kuroko blinked "I would love to but I need to finish the letter. It's due Today." Aomine raised an eyebrow. "Can't you just finish it during study period." Kuroko shook his head. "Since it's Friday, the office closes early. I have study period after the office closes." He said "So if I want to submit the letter today, I have to finish this and hand it over by lunch." Aomine frowned. "You need to eat." Kuroko looked up. "I'll eat after I submit this. There is still plenty of time."

Aomine sighed. Kuroko is stubborn. Aomine knows that no matter how hard he tried Kuroko will not listen. "Alright." Aomine said. "Finish your letter. We'll wait for you and eat together." He was leaving the class with Momoi. Kuroko was touched. He smiled at the thought. But the smile quickly faded as a memory zoomed by him. _"Why are we even waiting? I have better things to do."_

"Don't" Kuroko said. Aomine stopped walking. "What?" He turned to look at Kuroko. "I said everyone doesn't need to wait for me." Kuroko said with determination. "They should hurry up with their lunch and get back to what they need to do. For example, Akashi-kun with his student council work." Aomine looked like he wanted to protest but Momoi stopped him. "Dai-chan if Tetsu-kun wants this than we should just listen."

Kuroko smiled. This isn't something he wanted but he doesn't want to burden anyone. He's done plenty of that already. Aomine sighed. "Make sure you eat your lunch alright." Kuroko nodded and Aomine left with Momoi. After that Kuroko went back to his desk and continued written. There was still 30 minutes of lunch left when Kuroko was done with his letter. He took packed up and headed for the pen pal office.

The lady at the desk didn't notice him until 10 minutes after he arrived. "I'm sorry for not noticing you." The lady said with a shaky voice. "It's okay." Kuroko said. "I'm sorry for frightening you." He handed the letter to the lady. "You can expect your letter by the end of Monday or Tuesday." The lady told him. "Since this letter is going local it won't take long for it to be delivered and for a response to come." Kuroko bowed in appreciation. He went back to class to finish his lunch.

Later on in the evening, Kuroko and his brothers were having dinner. Akashi started the conversation as usual. "You didn't join us for lunch Tetsuya." Kuroko looked up. "I'm sorry Akashi-nii. I needed to finish the letter." Kuroko apologized. "Daiki told me." Akashi said. "Were you able to finish and submit it?" Kuroko nodded. Akashi feeling satisfied with what he learned decided to change the subject.

"What is everyone planning to do for this weekend?" Akashi asked. "Sleep" Aomine said. "I have a small business I need to take care off." Midorima said. "I'm going to Okinawa for a shooting. Won't be back until Monday in the afternoon." Kise said. "Going to Akita to get some sweets." Murasakibara said. 'Everyone is going their separate ways.' Kuroko turned to look at a picture of him and his brothers when they were young. 'It would be nice if we could do something together like how we used to.'

He was lost in thought that he didn't hear Akashi calling for him. "Yes?" Kuroko said finally noticing Akashi calling him. "I was asking what was your plan for the weekend." Akashi said. "You seemed lost in thought. Is something the matter?" Kuroko blinked. "I was thinking of the park we used to go to." Akashi took a sip from his cup. "What about it?" He asked. "I was planning to visit it and take some pictures." Kuroko said. "It's been a while since I used the camera father gave me."

Akashi put down his cup. "I'm not sure if that is a good idea." Akashi said softly. "Why not?" Kuroko said. "The park is nearby and I know it quite well since we've visited the place so much." Akashi was not convinced. "Even so it is dangerous to be alone. You don't know what can happen." Kuroko didn't waver. "I'm going out during the day." Kuroko said. "Please Akashi-nii. Let me go to the park." Akashi was going to deny Kuroko's request but he realized that this was the first time Kuroko asked for anything since he came into the family. Akashi sighed. "Fine." he said. "But only for an hour. Make sure to call me at the time you are leaving and when you come back." Kuroko nodded happily. "Thank you Akashi-nii." Akashi addressed the rest of his brothers. "I'm going to Kyoto for the weekend. I won't be back until Sunday evening just like Atsushi. Take care of the house until I come back."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Chapter with nothing important happening. Oh well! It's just the first few chapters


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroko goes out and find...

The next day Kuroko got up and went to the dining room. As he expected no one was there. Kise, Murasakibara and Akashi already left early in the morning, Aomine is still sleeping and Midorima is probably busy with what he is doing and doesn't want to be bothered.

Kuroko opened the fridge and found a plate covered in plastic wrap. It had a piece of paper that said Kuro-chin. Kuroko smiled a Murasakibara's kindness. He ate as much as he could and told the maids to give the rest of the food to anyone who wants to eat it. After that he left the room to get ready for the park.

Even though the trip was not with his brothers, Kuroko was very excited. It was probably the first time Kuroko has ever went somewhere on his own. Ever since he was adopted into the family, none of his brothers allowed him to go outside without one of them accompanying him. Kuroko had to admit that it took a lot of effort for him to get this opportunity.

_Flashback to last night_

Akashi addressed the rest of his brothers. "I'm going to Kyoto for the weekend. I won't be back until Sunday evening just like Atsushi. Take care of the house until I come back." Kise immediately voiced his opinions. "Akashicchi are you sure it's okay for Kurokocchi to go to the park by himself?" Before Akashi can give his response, Kuroko immediately answered. "I am the same age as everyone else here. Therefore if everyone can go off on their own, so can I." Kuroko said with firm determination.

"Yeah but everyone else has the physical abilities take care of themselves." Aomine said. "On the other hand, you don't have any of that." Kise, Midorima, Murasakibara and Akashi stilled for a moment. Kuroko has the patience of a saint, but if there is one thing Kuroko not forgive, it is when someone brings up his physique. Kuroko didn't show any reaction to Aomine's comment.

All of a sudden, Aomine gave a loud yelp. Kuroko had jabbed his side with the blunt end of the fork. "I think I can handle myself just fine." Kuroko said as if he didn't do anything. Aomine glared while everyone sighed 'He was asking for it.' Akashi caught everyone's attention. "My decision still stands." Akashi said. "I will not change my mind so don't bother questioning me." His voice was firm and had a tone that clearly said 'Don't defy me.' Everyone stayed quiet about the matter. They knew better than to question Akashi.

_Present_

Kuroko choose to dress in a simple T-shirt with a full sleeve sweater. It was a bit cold outside. He wore a pair of jeans, socks and running shoes. Before he left, he called Akashi but it went to voicemail. So he told the head butler to inform Akashi if he calls. The head butler complied. He took the camera his Father gave him, put it in a bag and left for the park. It was a 5 minute walk. As soon as he reached the park, he turned his cellphone's mode to silent because he didn't want to scare anything he was taking a picture of.

Due to Kuroko's lack of presence, he was able to get close enough to take pictures of animals that normal people would not be able to. Of course Kuroko still needs to consider the sound of the camera since some animals are more sensitive to sound compared to other animals. So he still keeps a good distance.

Kuroko spent the next half an hour taking pictures. He took pictures of a squirrel, some birds, dogs and butterflies. Kuroko then spent some time walking around the park. He gave a sad smile when he saw the kids playing by the basketball court.

How he wishes that his brothers and him could play basketball together again. All of his brothers except Aomine stopped playing after their third year in middle school. They said they didn't find it fun anymore since they always win and they have other matters to worry about. Meanwhile Aomine kept on playing because it's the only thing he can do.

Kuroko didn't show any reaction to it but it was devastating to hear them say that. Basketball was one of the things that kept them close to each other. By throwing away it was almost as if they were throwing away their bonds with each other. Their bonds with Kuroko. Kuroko shook his head. He should just focus on the now instead of the past.

All of a sudden, Kuroko felt a drop on his head. He looked up and before he knew it...it was raining. Kuroko sighed and immediately went to a nearby shelter. Once he got some place safe he looked at the rain. 'Looks like it won't stop for a while.' Kuroko said. 'What should I do?' It was about time he should return to the mansion.

"Arf" Kuroko heard something bark. He looked around. "Arf" Kuroko heard the voice again. This time Kuroko looked down on the ground. At his feet was puppy with black and white coat with blue eyes. Kuroko blinked and picked up the puppy. "Where did you come from?" Kuroko asked. "Arf" The puppy broke free from Kuroko's hold and ran into the rain. "Wait" Kuroko said as he chased after the puppy in the rain.

The puppy lead Kuroko to a box far away from the gates of the park. Kuroko looked inside the box. There was nothing inside. "How cruel." Kuroko said patting the dog's head. The puppy continued to look at Kuroko with a happy expression. "Let's go." Kuroko said as he picked up the puppy and left the place.

By the time Kuroko had reached his home, he was 30 minutes late. The head butler answered the door. "Welcome home Master Tetsuya." He said, "Please hurry inside, the other masters are waiting." Kuroko bowed in gratitude. "Did you call Akashi-nii?" Kuroko asked. "Yes." The head butler said. "I called him 5 minutes after you left." He gave Kuroko a towel to dry his head (Kuroko decided to ran home in the rain instead of waiting it out) "Master Seijuro called half an hour before you came home wondering where you are." He said with a bow. "Please be sure to call him as soon as you can."

Kuroko knew Akashi did not like to wait so he immediately called him. "Tetsuya" Akashi said. "You were supposed to be home and call me half an hour ago." Akashi voice was firm and it demanded an explanation. "I'm sorry." Kuroko said. "It started to rain and I didn't have an umbrella." Akashi sighed "So you decided to wait it out instead of calling for someone to come pick you up." Kuroko bit his lips "Not exactly." he said. "Oh?" Akashi said. Even though Kuroko could not see Akashi's face, he knew Akashi had raised an eyebrow. Kuroko heard someone in the background called Akashi's name. "We'll talk more later." Akashi said and he hanged up the phone. Kuroko sighed 'He's mad at me.'

"Master Tetsuya, please change your clothes." The head butler said. "You'll catch a cold." Kuroko nodded and he head for his room. Just then Aomine showed up to the room. "Aomine-nii" Kuroko greeted him. "Tetsu!" Aomine shouted. "Where have you been!? You were supposed to be home 30 minutes ago!" Before Kuroko could reply, Midorima came and hit Aomine in the head. "Can't you see Kuroko is soaked?" he said. "Let him get dry and then we can talk." All of a sudden, they heard a bark. "What was that?" Aomine asked. Kuroko took out the puppy from the inside of his camera bag. "He's the reason why I am late." Kuroko said. Midorima and Aomine simultaneously blinked and sighed. "We'll talk more in the living room after you get dried and changed." Midorima said. Kuroko nodded

After Kuroko changed, he went to the living room where Midorima and Aomine were waiting for him. "So…" Midorima said "Explain to us what happened." Kuroko obediently told them everything that has happened. "So what I gather from your story is…" Midorima said after Kuroko was done his story. "While you were waiting for the rain to dry out, you met the puppy who you found out is a stray. After that, you decided to walk home in the rain without an umbrella since you realized it would not stop raining for while and with the puppy who you did not want to leave alone...correct?" Kuroko nodded. "And the reason why you are late is because you were trying to figure out where the puppy came from." Aomine said looking at the dog in Kuroko's hand.

"You are forgiven for being late." Midorima said. "However I am upset at the fact that you choose to come home walking in the rain instead of calling the driver to come pick you up. He is here to serve us after all." Kuroko bit his lips. He hates taking the limo. It stands out too much. In fact, the only time he has ever taken the limo was when Akashi-san and his wife brought Kuroko into the household. He always walked or taken the transport wherever he went. No one noticed him anyway so it wasn't a big issue.

Kuroko voiced his opinions to his brothers who frowned at him. "It's fine if you don't like the limo but in situations like those you need to suck it up and take the goddamn limo." Aomine said. "I can't believe I am saying this but Aomine is right." Midorima said. Aomine huffed in annoyance. "When it comes to matters of health, it should always be your first priority." Midorima told Kuroko. "Coming home in the rain without an umbrella is reckless." Kuroko bowed his head to apologize.

"You can make it up to us by attending the party in our house in honor of welcoming back Uncle and Aunty from their journey." Midorima said. Kuroko frowned. He always hated the parties that the Akashi household held. It was filled with high class people who did nothing but gave fake flattery and who loves to gossip. Their main attention of gossip were naturally Kuroko's brothers. Whenever Kuroko's brothers come in, the attention of the attendants of the party is never diverted from them.

Kuroko-who did not stand out like his brothers-were completely forgotten by the guests. As if he's insecurity of being by his brothers side weren't bad from the beginning now it was completely ingrained in him. He and his brothers don't belong in the same world and that ripped Kuroko apart. But the worst people in those parties were the people that noticed him.

Kuroko realized Aomine was trying to get his attention. "Yes?" Kuroko asked. "What are thinking about?" Aomine asked. "Do I have to attend the party?" Kuroko asked. His voice had almost broke monotone and went into pleading. "This party is very important." Midorima said. "Uncle and Aunty are coming home after 5 years. At least you can attend the party for them." Kuroko stayed silent.

"By the way, what do we do with the dog?" Aomine asked. "We can probably send him to the shelter." Midorima said. "Why don't we keep him?" Kuroko asked with hopeful eyes. Midorima looked away from Kuroko's eyes. "I don't have any problems but Akashi hates dogs." Kuroko immediately protested. "Before yes, but now he only dislikes dogs that don't listen to him. This puppy is very obedient." Kuroko said. "Try a few tricks and check." Midorima sighed but he did listen. Surely enough the dog listened to him. "Well if he is this obedient with Akashi, I don't see any issue." Midorima said.

"What do we call him?" Aomine asked. "We can't call him puppy the entire time." Midorima looked at the dog. He's eyes widened as he observed something. He looked at Kuroko and then at the dog. He signaled Aomine to come and see something. Aomine did what Midorima did and looked at the dog and Kuroko. After a while, he said "Maybe we should name him Tetsuya Nigou." Midorima agreed.

"Why?" Kuroko tilted his head. The puppy copied his movements. Midorima and Aomine refused to look at the scene. "You two have the same eyes." Midorima said. Kuroko noticed his face had a very faint pink color. If it weren't for Kuroko's observation skills, he probably wouldn't have noticed it. Kuroko looked at the puppy. His eyes were quite similar to his. "Is Nigou okay for you?" he asked the puppy. The puppy barked in agreement. Kuroko smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will take a while to update, since school has started.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The next day Kuroko woke up early so he could take Nigou out for a walk but Nigou was not where he is supposed to be. Kuroko figured the puppy was exploring the big house so he set out to find him. He checked all the rooms for Nigou but couldn't find the puppy anywhere. So Kuroko went to check the backyard. There he found Nigou playing basketball with Aomine.

Kuroko stared in surprise. Of everything he could've expected, this was not one of them. Aomine was playing basketball with Nigou with a big smile on his face. It almost looked like the the old Aomine was back. Kuroko watched on with a small smile in his face for a while before he decided to make his presence known.

Nigou was the first one to notice him and immediately ran to him, leaning himself to Kuroko's leg. Kuroko knelt down to scratch Nigou's fur in gratitude. Aomine looked at him and asked "Tetsu, what are you doing here?" Kuroko looked up. "I wanted to take Nigou out for some exercise but it seemed like Aomine-nii beat me to it." Aomine scratched his head. "Yeah...turns out he knows how to play basketball pretty well." he said. "It's not just your looks he got."

Kuroko frowned. "I am not a dog Aomine-nii." Aomine quickly went to defend himself. "I didn't mean that!" He said. "I just said the two of you look and act similar." Aomine paused when he realized he was fighting a lost cause. "I'm making the situation worse, aren't I?" Kuroko was straight to the point. "Yep." he answered. Aomine sighed. "Let's get some breakfast."

…

When Kuroko got to the dining table, he was surprised to see Midorima sitting on the table. Midorima noticed Kuroko and said "It's about time you got here." Kuroko greeted Midorima. "Did you already have your breakfast?" Kuroko asked. "Not yet." Midorima replied.

Aomine frowned. "What? Did you wait for us?" he asked in disbelief. Midorima glared at him. "I will have you know that I was not waiting for you, instead my work load was lessened therefore I decided to catch up on my sleep." he said. "After all, if I plan to take care of other people, I need to take care of myself."

Aomine and Kuroko stared at Midorima with a surprised face. "You being lazy…" Aomine said in disbelief. "I prefer the term "taking a break." Midorima miffed. Aomine ignored him by laughing. "The workaholic skipping work, what's next?" he said. "Murasakibara being excited over something other than sweets or Akashi laughing."

Kuroko thought over Aomine's words. 'Now that I think about it, I never saw any of what Aomine-nii said.' All of a sudden, Kuroko realized something. "Aomine-nii." Kuroko called. Aomine looked at him while Midorima was eating his breakfast. "The sun might set in the east." Kuroko said. "Since Aomine-nii said something smart." This caused Midorima to choke on his food and Aomine to gape at Kuroko.

…

In the afternoon, Kuroko decided to go to the library to do some reading. He wanted to take Nigou out for a walk but the head butler said he would do it. "I wish to get to know our new member." He told Kuroko. Nigou barked in agreement.

So with nothing to do, Kuroko decided to go to the library to read. He's read almost half of the entire library. While he was searching the shelves for a book he didn't read, he came across one particular book. It was a child book. Kuroko smiled wistfully because this book is an important piece to him.

_Flashback…_

7 year old Kuroko was sitting by his favorite spot in the library. It was a big, soft chair in front a fireplace. Kuroko had a pile of books in front of him. He spent so much time reading the books that he fell asleep.

When he woke up, he heard music playing from somewhere. Kuroko was curious so he followed the music to it's source. It lead him to a room with a piano inside. Kuroko saw Midorima playing a piece on the piano. Kuroko silently watched and listened to Midorima's music. Once Midorima finished playing the piano, Kuroko clapped in appreciation.

Startled, Midorima looked around for the sound and noticed Kuroko at the door. "Kuroko" he said acknowledging Kuroko's presence. "Midorima-nii played so nicely, I couldn't help but clap." Kuroko said with a smile. Midorima looked down at his piano and twiddled with his thumb. "It wasn't that good." Midorima said in a low voice. "It was." Kuroko insisted.

He walked towards Midorima. "I wish I could play the piano like that." He had a wistful look as he stared into the piano. Midorima looked at Kuroko. "If you want, I could teach you." he said. Kuroko looked at Midorima with curious eyes. "Are you sure?" he asked. "If I wasn't, I wouldn't have offered." Midorima answered shifting his eyes away from Kuroko's gaze. Kuroko smiled "Thank you so much." He said "I would love to."

So, Kuroko's lesson with Midorima began. Midorima was a little strict but patient. He would help Kuroko when Kuroko needed help and made sure Kuroko understood what he was saying. Kuroko practiced hard and by the time he turned 9, he was able to play a few pieces by himself. Overall, the time Kuroko spent with Midorima was fun.

_Present Time…_

Kuroko felt a tap on his shoulder as he was remembering the past. He turned and saw it was Midorima. 'Think of the devil and he will come.' Kuroko thought, "Midorima-nii." Kuroko greeted. "What are you doing here?" Midorima asked. "Finding something to read." Kuroko said. Midorima looked down at Kuroko's hand. "A children's book?" he asked. "I found this by chance." Kuroko said. "I liked this book as a child."

Midorima hummed in thought. "You know most of the books here, right?" he asked. Kuroko blinked. "Yes" he said. "Any recommendations?" Midorima asked. "For your music?" Kuroko asked. "Not really." Midorima shifted his gaze and was stroking the spine of a book gently. Kuroko tried hard not to smile. Midorima was never the honest type. "I'll see what I can do."

…

It was evening time and Kuroko was feeling excited. Akashi and Murasakibara were coming back this evening. Honestly, Kuroko couldn't help but worry whenever his brothers decide to go somewhere far. It makes him feel like they are leaving him. To hide his excitement, he was playing with Nigou. But surely enough when Akashi and Murasakibara came in, Kuroko was the first one to greet him. Murasakibara greeted him back with a pat on the head and Akashi gave him a small smile.

Akashi felt something rub against his leg. Looking down he noticed a black and white dog staring at him. For some reason, Akashi can't help but stare at it's eyes. "Who's this?" he said pointing to the dog at his feet. "Our pet dog." Kuroko, Midorima and Aomine said. Akashi blinked. Maybe he should have his ears checked because he could've sworn they said 'Our pet dog.'

"Our what?" Akashi asked. "Our pet dog." the trio said. On second thought, his ears are perfectly fine. "He's properly trained." Kuroko supplied. Kuroko was probably the most observant one after him, thus he knew what Akashi was thinking...most of the time. Akashi gave Kuroko a look that said 'I suppose you have something to do with this?'

Kuroko shifted on his feet. Akashi sighed. Honestly, he should have expected Kuroko to do something like this. Ever since he since he was young, Kuroko had loved animals and they liked him back. Akashi had learned this when he took Kuroko to see his pet horse, Yukimura. His horse (like him) doesn't accept people quickly but Kuroko and Yukimura got along well. The two of them became so close that they had completely forgotten Akashi.

By the time they were done, Akashi was extremely annoyed. Kuroko spent the entire time back to the mansion talking about Yukimura. Normally, he would have felt great pride at someone complimenting his horse, but now he was feeling even more annoyed. At one point, Akashi had asked "Did you like my horse that much?" Kuroko happily nodded. "I see." Akashi said.

He was walking in front of Kuroko when he felt something warm against his back. Akashi looked down and saw Kuroko was hugging him from behind. "Thank you" Kuroko said. "For letting me see someone precious to you." Akashi sighed. Honestly, Kuroko always does things beyond his expectation. "We'll visit him again." Akashi said patting Kuroko's head. Oddly enough, Akashi felt better for some reason. "Promise?" Kuroko asked eagerly. "Promise." Akashi said firmly.

Kuroko stared at his brother with a worried expression. Akashi was silently staring at Nigou and stroking his fur. Nigou seems to like it so he doesn't say anything. "Akashi-nii." Kuroko called out. Akashi stared at Kuroko and blinked his eyes. He looked back at Nigou and then at Aomine and Midorima. The two of them shrugged which caused Akashi to sigh. "He can stay." Akashi said referring to Nigou. Kuroko smiled. Akashi got up from the floor and said. "I'm a little tired so I'll be relaxing in my room." he said. "Call me when it's dinner time." Afterwards, he left the room. Kuroko looked at the door Akashi went through.

Murasakibara came up to Kuroko and gave him a box. "Here you go Kuro-chin." Murasakibara said. "Some vanilla flavor sweets from Akita." Kuroko took the box with a smile. He was happy to see that Murasakibara thought of him during his trip. "Oi Murasakibara!" Aomine called out "Where's mine?" Murasakibara gave Aomine a bored look "You didn't ask for any." he said. Aomine's eyebrow twitched. "You know I'll accept anything as long as it's food!" he yelled. "Even Momoi's cooking?" Midorima asked. Aomine twitched. "Except that" he said.

Aomine noticed Kuroko was thinking something. "What's up, Tetsu?" Kuroko looked at Aomine. "Nothing" he said. "I was wondering why Akashi-nii accepted Nigou so easily." Aomine blinked "I thought it was obvious why" he said. Kuroko tilted his head. "Why?" Aomine stared at Kuroko without saying anything, he sighed and said. "Nothing. Let's go and eat." Kuroko stared at his brother but nonetheless followed him out the room.

…

After dinner, Kuroko was in his room feeling terrible. Around dinner, Akashi addressed the issue of Kuroko's phone call from yesterday. After Kuroko finished his story, Akashi agreed that Midorima's judgement was fair and that Kuroko should attend the party. This brings Kuroko to his current predicament. In order to not think too much on the matter, Kuroko brought his attention to a book he found in the library.

Kuroko heard a knock on the door. "Come in" he said. It was Akashi. "Akashi-nii" Kuroko said "What's wrong?" Akashi walked inside. "I was wondering if everything was alright." he said. "You did not eat much at dinner, which isn't a good thing considering how little you eat." Kuroko put down his book. "I'm fine" he said in a monotonous tone. Akashi sat at the edge of Kuroko's bed.

"You were always good at hiding your emotions." Akashi said. "I must admit there has never been anyone that I needed to work so hard to understand like you." Kuroko said nothing. "But whenever I tried to figure you out, I'm right." Akashi continued. "So if I were guess, I would say you are worried about the party." Kuroko still said nothing. "So I'm right." Akashi said. He knelt down to pat Nigou fur.

"Ever since you came into the family, you have only attended one party." Akashi said. "You never liked attention and people don't notice you so Mother and Father had no problem with you not attending any of the parties." Kuroko was quiet. "But this party is different Tetsuya." Akashi said. "This party is for our parents." For the first time, Kuroko spoke. "Midorima-nii told me all that." Kuroko said.

"Yet you still feel uncomfortable?" Akashi asked. "I'm not like you and the rest of my brothers." Kuroko said. "I don't belong in that world." Akashi stared at Kuroko. Kuroko realized he said a little too much. Kuroko's brothers absolutely hate it when he devalue himself and yet…

Akashi sighed. "I don't know if this will make you feel any better." he said. "But why don't we visit Yukimura." Kuroko blinked. "Yukimura...as in you're horse?" he asked. Akashi nodded. "I did promise you that we will see him again." Kuroko stared at Akashi with an open mouth. "What is it?" Akashi asked with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you forgot the promise." Kuroko said slowly. Akashi gave Kuroko a funny look. "Silly Tetsuya." Akashi said. "I would never forget any promise I made to you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DONE! Yeah in case you haven't noticed it by now. My stories are very slow paced. Anyway R&R!


	7. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their parents are back...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Hope you liked the previous chapter. Please enjoy the new chapter! I don't own KnB!

Chapter 6

Time flies. There was at least 2 weeks left before the party when Akashi and Murasakibara came home. Now there is only 5 days left before the party. Nothing much had happened during the time. Kuroko got another letter from his pen pal and everyone's daily lives continued like always. Well...almost the same.

Akashi Masomi and his wife are home. They had came back from China around dinnertime. As soon as the couple had walked through, they were greeted by Kuroko and his brothers with a warm smile (you can hank Akashi for the timing). Ryouka-san immediately went to hug each one of them and wanted to sit and talk to each of them but Akashi said "You had a long journey, we can talk after you and Father rest." Masaomi-san agreed and the couple went to bed.

The next day, around the breakfast, the first thing Akashi-san asked "Why is there a dog sitting by my feet?" Kuroko immediately went and explained how Nigou came into the house. After a while, Akashi-san patted Nigou's head and said "What's his name?" After Kuroko told the name, Akashi-san chuckled a little and said "Welcome to the family, Nigou."

Aside from that, everything was the same except for the fact that the mansion was a lot louder than usual. Everyone was getting ready for the party. The ballroom (which hasn't been used since New Years) was getting cleaned, so that it looked as clean as the first day they used it. The invites have been sent out to the couple's close friends and colleagues. But now invites for people that Akashi and his brothers wanted to invite were being written. There were not that many people. It was only the basketball team coach- Sanada-san, the principle, Momoi-san and Tachibana-san along with people Kise and Midorima wanted to invite.

Aomine and Kise stared at Midorima in shock. "Who are _you_ planning to invite?" Midorima simply said. "Just someone I owe a favor to." Kuroko was surprised as well but his reason is completely different from Aomine and Kise. He was surprised at how comical this situation is.

_Flashback_

"Kuroko" Midorima called out to him. At the time, Kuroko was working on his letter. He looked up at Midorima. "Yes, Midorima-nii" Kuroko said looking at Midorima. Midorima was silent as he stared at his cellphone. Finally, he looked at Kuroko and said. "Say you have this acquaintance that you don't know so well and all of a sudden, he invites you to his sister's birthday party." Midorima said. "How do you thank him, aside from verbally saying thanks and giving a thank you present, especially when he introduced you as a good friend to his parents?"

Kuroko blinked. He was trying hard not to smile. Finally, he composed himself and said. "You should invite him to the party in our house. But before that, you should ask him if he's okay with formal parties so that way he doesn't feel uncomfortable." He was looking at his letter while he spoke. He was trying to make it look like he wasn't curious about Midorima's reaction.

"Oh I see" Midorima said casually and went back to his cell phone. All of a sudden, he froze and looked at Kuroko with look of surprise. "Wait, What!?" he said "What makes you think this is about me!?" Kuroko couldn't help it. He burst into laughter. Had it not been for the fact that Kuroko rarely laughs, Midorima would have completely snapped at him.

Kuroko finally calm down and said "Midorima-nii is not as sly as he thinks. I could read you like a book." Midorima scowled and muttered something too low for Kuroko to hear. "Did you say something?" Kuroko asked. "Nothing" Midorima said. But Kuroko was stubborn and very curious so he kept on asking. Finally at his wits end, Midorima said "Ask me one more time and I'll no longer help you with your letters." Kuroko did not want to lose his precious time with Midorima, so he did not say anything.

Midorima feeling somewhat satisfied said. "Let's get back to the letter and never talk about this topic-which has nothing to do with me-again."

_Present Time_

'Nothing to do with him' Kuroko thought with an amused smile. As if Midorima would sense what Kuroko was, he glared at Kuroko with a somewhat red face. Unknown to both of them is that their interaction was being watched by someone.

In the afternoon, Kuroko took Nigou out for a walk as usual. He and Nigou were walking by the park as usual. This was another thing that was different than normal. Kuroko was allowed to have some freedom. Normally, Kuroko would never be allowed to go anywhere by himself. But thanks to Nigou joining the family, he can now go off by himself as long as Nigou accompanies him (in other words, pet friendly place only).

He and Nigou were walking by the basketball court when all of a sudden he saw something coming at him from the corner of his eyes. It was a basketball. Kuroko used his quick reflexes to swat the ball back to the person. The person caught the ball with a surprised expression.

"Where did that come from?" he said looking around. Kuroko realizing that waiting for an apology would be pointless, so he left the spot. As he left, he could hear the person's companion say "Someone must have passed it back to you." After walking quite a distance away, Kuroko heard a loud "It's a ghost!" Looking back, Kuroko saw that the noise came from the basketball court that he just passed through. Figuring out what must have happened, Kuroko simply sighed.

Around dinner time, the entire family was sitting together and eating. When Akashi-san asked everyone a very sudden question. "Everyone was part of your school's basketball club in middle school, correct?" Kuroko and his brothers stopped eating at the sudden question. They looked at Akashi-san. Akashi-san was quietly waiting for their answer. Finally, Akashi answered for them "Yes father." Akashi-san hummed. "May I ask why you stopped?" he asked. "I'm still playing" Aomine said with a bored tone. "Then you don't need to answer." Akashi-san said kindly. "As for the rest of you, I'm still waiting for your answer."

"Everyone is busy with other things, Father." Akashi said. Akashi-san smiled gently at his son. "I am aware of that Seijurou." he said. "Izumo* was kind enough to inform me what is happening in the house as the days go on." Izumo was the head butler of the Akashi family. He bowed when Akashi-san mentioned his name. "But for some reason" Akashi-san added. "I didn't get any info about our new family member." He looked at Nigou who barked at Akashi-san. "Forgive me sir," Izumo said. "But Master Tetsuya insisted that I stay quiet about the matter. He wanted to explain the matter to you personally."

"That is fine Izumo" Akashi-san said. "But going back on topic here, I am aware the four of you are busy but I am advising you to go back and join the basketball club." Kuroko and his brothers blinked at Akashi-san. Akashi frowned. "Is there a reason why?" Akashi-san raised an eyebrow. "I am sure you are aware that an Akashi heir as to perfect in everything, Seijuro." Akashi-san said. "This includes sports. Your grandparents are pleased with the amount you had accomplished in middle school compare to that, they feel you are lacking in your high school accomplishment so far. The reason is because you don't have a sports accomplishment in your high school records like in middle school." Akashi pursed his lips.

Akashi-san's tone softened. "Also, your mother was a fan of basketball. It was something she would've liked to share with you." Kuroko stared at Akashi-san. This was the first time he heard his Father speak of Akashi's mother. Ever since he came to the mansion, all he knew about the former mistress was that she was kind and looked like Akashi. Kuroko found this out by looking at her portrait that hangs next to the family portrait. On the other side, was a portrait of Ryouka-san's former husband. Thanks to the portrait, Kuroko knew where Kise inherited his smile. Aside from that, he has never heard anything about her.

Judging from Akashi's surprised face (it was very brief that Kuroko barely missed it), he didn't know much either. After a while, Akashi nodded. Akashi-san seemed satisfied by the answer. "The same applies for you, Shintarou." he said. "You're father is proud that you are trying so hard to become a doctor like him but he wants you to live your youth."

"Yes Uncle" Midorima said. After, her husband finished talking Ryouka-san smiled and said "You are absolutely right, dear." She turned to face her children. "I have always been proud of all you for thinking so far and advanced for your future." she told them. "But for goodness sake, you're only fifteen! Rather than thinking about work and future, you should be thinking about living and enjoying your life. You can worry all about work and future, when you become as old as your father and me." Seeing that no one was going to say anything, Ryouka-san continued while looking at Kise. "Which is why I asked Ryouta's agency to cut down on his work so he can focus more on schools and clubs. In other words, no more skipping school and no more "I'm too busy for clubs." Do I make myself clear, young man?"

"Yes, Mom." Kise said. "Good." Seemingly satisfied by Kise's answer, Ryouka-san turned to Murasakibara. "As for you, Atsushi" she said. "I have been hearing about how you've been eating an unbelievable amount of sweets. Now I know that you are a healthy boy but you also need your exercise. So I request you to rejoin the basketball club in order to get that daily 60 minute exercise that you need."

Murasakibara reluctantly agreed. He could never refuse anything Ryouka-san requested because she had done a lot for him. Due to the fact that Murasakibara was born out of wedlock, his other relatives were not very nice to him. Ryouka-san was the only one who not only treated him and his mother kindly, she also gave him a place to stay and is paying for his mother's treatment.

Meanwhile, Kuroko quietly ate his food as he observed the conversation. Once again, he was impressed by Akashi-san and Ryouka-san. Despite not being home for a long time, they still managed to have a firm control over the house. Akashi-san is calm and collected at his approach and with his tone and manner of speech makes him quite dangerous. You could tell Akashi is his son because his eyes and voice clearly said 'Disobey me and you will suffer.' Ryouka-san on the other hand, had a very different approach. She had a very cheerful and motherly approach that makes you feel like you kicked a puppy if you refuse any of her requests.

"Oh yes, I have one more thing to say." Akashi-san said as he lifted his teacup to take a sip of tea. "Aomine, I have been hearing that you have not attended quite a few practices." Aomine frowned. "I am strong enough." he said. "I don't need those practices." Akashi-san put down his teacup. "I am aware of that. Your coach himself told me." he said. "But since the Inter-High is coming close, the club will be holding mandatory basketball practices. In other words, if you miss those practices, you will not be able to participate in the tournament."

Aomine blinked. Clearly, he had no idea that the club had such a strict rule. "So what I am saying is that you should be careful not to miss those important practices." Akashi-san said. "Because if you ask me, losing a match without even playing it is far worse than losing a match while you are playing." Akashi-san took another sip of his tea. Aomine was silent. Finally he sighed and said "Alright." Akashi-san smiled at his answer and went back to finishing his meal.

Kuroko patiently waited to see if Akashi-san wanted to say anything to him but Akashi-san simply went back to finishing his meal. 'Well it only makes sense.' Kuroko thought. 'Unlike everyone else, I don't have any kind of reputation to keep up. In this world, I am someone who doesn't exist.' And with that final thought, Kuroko finished his meal and asked permission to leave the table. Ryouka-san stared at Kuroko's plate. He barely ate a quarter of his meal. "Tetsuya, is that really enough for you?" she asked with a worried tone. Izumo had told her and Akashi-san about Kuroko's had a decrease in appetite. But she wasn't expecting it to be this much. "Yes, Mother." Kuroko said politely. "I see" Ryouka-san said with a stiff smile. "Please excuse me." Kuroko said and he left the room.

Later in the evening, Kuroko was busy with his work when he heard a knock at his door. "Come in" Kuroko said. A maid opened the door and bowed. "Master Akashi would like you see you Master Kuroko." Kuroko blinked. 'Why does Father want to see me?' he wondered. Whenever his parents are home, the maids addressed his Father as Master Akashi while Akashi is addressed as Master Seijuro. Kuroko thanked and dismissed the maid and went to see Akashi-san.

Once Kuroko was at the door, he knocked and waited for his Father's permission. "Come in" his Father said. "Excuse me" Kuroko said as he entered the room and bowed. "Ah, Tetsuya" Akashi-san said. "Come in and have a seat." Kuroko came into the room and sat in one of the chairs in front of Akashi-san's table. Akashi-san had his laptop open so he must have been working before he came into the room. "I apologize for disrupting your work." Kuroko said. Akashi-san smiled. "There is no reason to apologize" he said. "After all, it is only natural for a parent to spend time with his child."

Kuroko gave a small smile. "Haruka-san said you wanted to talk to me." Kuroko is probably the only one in the house aside for Akashi-san and Akashi to memorize all the names of the butlers and the maids. But the maids and butlers insists that Kuroko don't address them by their names since it makes them feel uncomfortable.

"Yes" Akashi-san said with a serious expression. "It's about what was discussed at dinner." Kuroko blinked. "I am aware that you were part of the basketball team with your brothers." Akashi-san said. "But your reasons for not playing is different compare to Seijurou and everyone else." Kuroko looked down and bit his lips. "Clearly, you can tell that I want you to rejoin the basketball club and play with your brothers." Akashi-san continued. "But, unlike everyone else, I am giving you a choice."

Kuroko looked up at his Father in shock. His Father is giving him...a choice. "As I said before, unlike everyone who (somewhat) had to quit, you choose to quit." Akashi-san said in response to Kuroko's shock. "So I am giving you the choice on whether or not you want to rejoin the club." Akashi-san smiled softly and patted Kuroko's head. "It may seem like a heavy decision but I know you will make the right decision." Kuroko didn't know what to say so he looked down at the table.

Just then, Kuroko heard someone knock on the door. "Come in" Akashi-san said. It was Akashi. "Father there is something I would like to dis…" Akashi started to speak but then he noticed Kuroko's presence. "Tetsuya?" Akashi said with a calm expression. Kuroko greeted his brother. "Is something the matter?" Akashi asked. "Tetsuya and I were simply having a conversation." Akashi-san. "I see" Akashi said. Kuroko blinked. It was probably his imagination but he could've sworn Akashi looks a little more relax compared to when he first entered the room.

Realizing that the two have important manners to discuss. Kuroko got up and bowed. "I will be going now." Kuroko said. "Good Night Tetsuya" Akashi-san said. "Good Night Father." Kuroko said. He turned to leave the room. Before he left the room, Kuroko wished Akashi a good night. "Good Night Tetsuya" Akashi said with a small smile.

Back in Kuroko's room, Kuroko collapsed on the bed as soon as he entered his room. The conversation with Akashi-san was very exhausting. He closed his eyes to get some sleep, but sleep did not easily come. As he closed his eyes, his mind kept on floating back to what his discussion with his Father. By the time, Kuroko did make a decision, he noticed that it was 3 in the morning. Exhausted, Kuroko closed his eyes to get as much sleep as he could with the remaining hours.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DONE! Sorry for being super late! Midterms are coming up.
> 
> SO… yeah...I changed the personalities of the parents, since we already have plenty of drama going on.
> 
> ANYWAY! R&R!


	8. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new character will join us this chapter. Hint: He has hawk-eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I apologize for this late update. My computer crashed so updates will take longer than usual. Secondly, I hope you enjoyed the last chapter!
> 
> This chapter might be a bit longer than my usual chapters.

Chapter 7

The next day Kuroko woke up feeling tired. He looked at his clock and got up in surprise. He was an hour late than usual! He quickly got changed and rushed out of his room. "Master Tetsuya" One of the maids, Yuki, called out to him. "Good Morning." Kuroko greeted her back. "Why didn't you wake me? I'm an hour late." he said. "Master Akashi told us not to wake you up." she said. "He said you had been very busy last night and he wanted you to get some more rest."

'Father did?' Kuroko thought. "But what about Aomine-nii and Kise-nii, who woke them up?" He asked. "Master Tetsuya, please calm down." Yuki-san said. "Your school has a late start, today." Kuroko blinked. 'That's right' Kuroko thought. 'I forgot.' Kuroko's school is one of the highly privileged schools in Japan. The school is probably the only one in Japan to allow such things as late starts and early dismissal. Apparently such a practice is common in America. "I see" Kuroko said. He bowed to Yuki-san. "I'm sorry for overreacting." Yuki-san was flustered and quickly said. "It's okay."

After that, Kuroko with his usual routine of waking up Aomine and KIse. After that, he went to the dining table. He was surprised to see only Murasakibara and Midorima at the table. "Good morning." Kuroko greeted his two brothers. "Where is Akashi-nii?" Midorima and Murasakibara greeted him back. "Akashi took Nigou out for a walk." Midorima said. "According to the maids, you were too tired so Akashi decided to take care of the matter for you." Kuroko felt terrible. He made a mental note to apologize to Akashi. Kuroko was so busy in his thoughts that he didn't hear Midorima call out to him. "Huh?" Kuroko said. "I said are you alright?" Midorima said. "It's not like you to be so exhausted."

"I'm fine." Kuroko said. "I didn't get any sleep because I was thinking about something for a really long time." Midorima hummed. "What were you thinking about?" Before Kuroko could think of an answer, Akashi and Nigou walked into the room. Akashi noticed Kuroko was at the table. He put his hand on Kuroko's forehead. "Um" Kuroko was flustered (not that he ever showed it) by the unexpected contact. "It seems you are alright." Akashi said.

Before Kuroko could ask Akashi what did he mean, Aomine and Kise walked into the room. "Ah, good" Akashi said after he noticed the two. "Now that you are here, I can finally give the news." Everyone looked at him. "About what?" Aomine asked as he sat down at the table and started to devour his breakfast. "We have been reinstated into the basketball club." Akashi said. "Just in time because our first practice is a mandatory practice."

"You sure you can keep up?" Aomine asked with a smirk. "You haven't played in a while." Midorima pushed up his glasses. "I wouldn't be so smug if I were you." he said. "I played basketball as a recreational activity to maintain my health." Kise and Akashi agreed with Midorima. "As for Atsushi...well I think his height speaks for itself." Akashi said.

Kuroko pushed his plate forward. "I'm done." he said. "I'll be going now." Kuroko turned to leave the room. "Already?" Aomine asked. "You still have time." Surely enough the clock in the dining room indicated that Kuroko had plenty of time. "Everyone will be leaving early to get to practice on time." Kuroko said. "I don't want to be left alone." He left before his brothers could say anything else. What Kuroko didn't tell them was that he had another matter to deal with.

...

Kuroko was now in school, standing with Momoi and watching the basketball practice. He was a manager of the basketball team along with Momoi. Naturally his brothers were surprised by his decision. When they asked him why, he simply said. "I'm looking for something." Honestly, Kuroko has no idea what he _exactly_ what he is looking for, but he can't help but think something is missing. While, his brothers were practicing Momoi came up to him. "Tetsu-kun" she said. "Yes, Momoi-san." Kuroko said. "What exactly are you looking for?" Kuroko blinked. Finally after a while he said, "I'm not sure."

"Huh?" Momoi said. "What do you mean?" Kuroko looked at his brothers as they were practiced. "It's exactly what I mean." Kuroko said. "I don't know what I'm looking for, all I knew at the end of last year is that our team was missing something important. That's why I stopped playing." Momoi looked at Kuroko in silence as she contemplated what he said. "So why are you back?" she asked hesitantly. Kuroko gave a wistful smile. "Because I love basketball." he said. At the end of the practice, everyone naturally went up to the GoM and talked about how amazing they were while Kuroko and Momoi helped clean up the gym, meanwhile the coach clapped his hands to get the students attention. "As most of you are aware, the Inter-High will be starting soon" he said. "These next few practices will be very important because not only will they help you improve before the tournament, but they will also have an impact on whether or not you will participate in the tournament. So make sure you don't miss any." Kuroko could have sworn that the coach was looking at Aomine. After that he dismissed the club and everyone headed to class.

Kuroko expected the news of his brothers playing basketball would become big news but this was a little too much. It's already lunch time and people are still talking about how the "Generation of Miracles" are back playing basketball. Everywhere he went he would either see his brothers surrounded by a hoard of women. This was especially the case if it was Kise or Akashi. Of course, it didn't really help Kuroko's mood due to the raging amount of emotions he had to keep in check.

In fact, it probably wasn't until he got to the rooftop surrounded by silence that he could finally take a deep breath. Sitting next to him, Murasakibara noticed this action. "What's wrong Kuro-chin?" He asked. "Nothing." Kuroko said. "I was thinking about how the hoard of girls have gotten larger than middle school." Murasakibara blinked. "Eh? Really? I wouldn't know." Kuroko gave him a sheepish stare. "What are you talking about?" Akashi said. He had just gotten out of the student council meeting and his fans. "Kuro-chin thinks that our fan base has gotten bigger." Murasakibara said. "They certainly have gotten louder." Aomine said as he entered the roof. He had somehow managed to escape his teacher lecturing for sleeping in class. "Really? I didn't notice any change." Kise said. He _finally_ managed to escape his fans! "Of course you wouldn't notice." Midorima said. "You are a narcissist." He choose to come to the roof after the commotion had calmed down. "By the way Murasakibara, how were you able to escape all the commotion?"

"Eh?" Murasakibara said. "Apparently my height makes me more scary rather than approachable. They give me treats but they don't talk to me." Aomine snorted. Akashi sighed and sat down. "By the way Tetsuya, I'm free this friday so why don't we visit Yukimura this Friday." Kuroko blinked. "Are you sure?" He asked. "It's the day before the party." Akaashi raised an eyebrow. "Of course I am." He said. And with that the six of them spent their lunch in a somewhat peaceful manner.

...

They said time is no one's friend. Kuroko couldn't agree more. With all the fangirls going crazy over his brothers, Kuroko thought that Friday would never come and when he was finally able to have some peace, the day was already over. Now Kuroko was in the limo heading home with Akashi after spending time with Yukimura. Kuroko sighed wishing he could have spend more time with Yukimura.

_Flashback_

An hour after school had ended, Kuroko was in the limo with Akashi heading to visit Yukimura. Naturally when they got to the stable, Yukimura greeted them enthusiastically. As Kuroko was feeding Yukimura sugar cubes, he noticed Akashi was watching them with a frown on his face. "What's wrong?" He asked. "Yukimura seems more excited to see you rather than me." Akashi said. Kuroko blinked. He looked at Yukimura. "You are?" He asked the horse. The horse snorted. Kuroko smiled as he patted the horse. "I guess it's because we are a lot alike." Kuroko said with a small smile. Akashi snorted. Kuroko stared at Akashi. "Are you jealous?" He asked. Akashi frowned. "Don't be ridiculous." He said. "What should _I_ possibly be jealous of?" Kuroko hummed and said nothing.

After a few minutes, Akashi said "Let's go for a ride." Kuroko blinked. "I don't have a horse." He said. "You can ride with me and Yukimura." Before Kuroko could say anything, Akashi had already set out to get Yukimura ready for the ride. Finally, after much persuasion, Kuroko finds himself sitting behind Akashi on Yukimura's back. "Where are we going?" He asked Akashi. Akashi didn't say anything. He just smiled secretly. After riding for a long time, Akashi told Yukimura to stop. "Why did we stop?" Kuroko asked. "Look over there." Akashi said pointing to his right.

Kuroko gasped. It was the sun setting and it was beautiful. With the golden red sun on the background and the valley filled with trees in the colors of fall, Kuroko wished he had a camera. "It's amazing." Kuroko said. "Yes, I knew you would like it." Akashi said as he gave Yukimura a sugar cube and some water. "This area is park nearby our household." He said. "I often came here to clear to my thoughts."

"I thought that's what you did Shogi for." Kuroko said. "Oh no. Not at all, Tetsuya. I play Shogi to keep my brain healthy." Akashi said with an amused smirk. "Don't want to become a forgetful old man." Kuroko gave him a blank look. "If that is your idea of a joke, please stop." Kuroko said in complete honesty. "It makes you sound idiotic as Aomine-kun and I don't want apocalypse to happen." Akashi appeared even more amused. "I can't make a joke, Tetsuya." He said. "I don't believe you." Kuroko said with narrowed eyes. "Then you know how the rest of us feel when you say you have no sense of humor." Akashi said. "What are you talking about?" Kuroko asked. "That has no connection to this." Akashi didn't say anything.

"Why did you bring me here?" Kuroko asked after watching the sunset for a while. "You are experiencing a change that you have no control over." Akashi said. "But it's only the tip of the iceberg for you. I figured by remembering this scene, you will able to calmly overcome whatever is thrown at you." Kuroko didn't say anything. How? How does he do that? Even though Kuroko tried so hard…so hard to be vague and emotionless and yet...and yet Akashi still can see through him. After he was able to calm down, he asked Akashi "How can you be so certain of what you said?" Akashi looked at Kuroko. "Because I am absolute."

_Flashback ended_

When they got home, Akashi told Kuroko. "Make sure you get plenty of rest." Kuroko nodded. Tomorrow was the party after all.

...

Tomorrow night couldn't have come any sooner. Kuroko was now standing in front of his closet wondering about what he should wear for the party. Kuroko is not very fashionable unlike his other brothers. Most of the time he picks whatever he feels is comfortable.

'Maybe I should ask one of my brothers for help.' Kuroko thought. He decided to go to Kise. Kise has the best sense of fashion after all (next to Akashi). Kuroko was about to knock at Kise's door. When a sudden flashback hit him. _"I am busy right now. I don't have time to help you."_ Kuroko stood still in front of Kise's door letting the memory sink in. 'On second thought…I can probably take care of it.' Kuroko thought and he went back to his room.

Even though he thought that, Kuroko still didn't know what to wear and time was ticking away. He looked at all of his suits that he laid down on the bed. But none of them seem right, especially if you compare to the fashionable suits of his brothers. Kuroko blinked as a he remembered something. He went to his closet and opened a drawer picked up a package. Kuroko put the package down in the bed and opened. Inside the package was a black Armani suit.

_Flashback_

"Kise-nii" 12 year old Kuroko called out to his brother. "Why am I going shopping with you again? I don't need anything." Kise gave Kuroko a bright smile. "Because I need to pick an outfit for this party I am going to and I need someone to give me a verdict." Kise said. "I don't get why it has to be me." Kuroko said. "I mean, everyone else has a much nicer fashion sense than me."

"I asked everyone already but they said they had better things to do." Kise said with a pout. "What could possibly be better than shopping with me?" Kuroko didn't hesitate one bit to answer Kise's question. "Lot's of things." He said. "Kurokocchi's so mean!" Kise wailed. Kuroko immediately shushed him. "You're going to cause a commotion." He said. "I don't want paparazzi hounding us." Kise immediately quiet down. "Sorry" he said with a dejected voice. Kuroko sighed. He really hates it Kise's dejected face. "I don't know how much of a help I would be but I'll try my best to help you." Kuroko said. Instantaneously, Kise's dejected face turned into a bright one. "Thank you, Kurokocchi!" He said giving Kuroko a tight hug. Although, Kuroko gave an annoyed expression on the outside, he was happy on the inside. 'Maybe this trip won't be so bad.' Kuroko thought.

Kuroko was about to change his mind. He and Kise have been inside a store for the past hour. Kise had tried at least 25 outfits. Every single time he tried one, he would ask Kuroko how he looked. Kuroko would say he looks good because let's face it...he does! But this wasn't satisfying for Kise. "Be a little more serious, Kurokocchi." He said with a pout. Kuroko sighed. He almost told Kise that he can't help it if he finds Kise hot.

Kuroko looked at his right and noticed a particular outfit. It was a pale yellow colored t-shirt with a pale light blue colored open jacket. The pants were beiged color and it came with a light gray scarf and a straw hat. 'Maybe…' Kuroko thought as he went to the outfit. He picked up the outfit and brought it over to Kise, who was looking for him. "Kise-nii" Kuroko called out. Naturally, Kise was surprised by Kuroko's appearance. "Try this." Kuroko said holding out the outfit. Kise blinked in surprise, but then he smiled. "I'll be right back." He said.

A few minutes, Kise came back wearing the outfit. "How do I look?" He asked Kuroko. Kuroko's breath hitched. He couldn't help it. Seeing Kise in an outfit he picked out was...something else. Kuroko realized Kise was waiting for his answer so he said. "You look great."

"Really?" Kise asked. Kuroko nodded. "Alright I'll take this one." Kuroko blinked. "Are you sure?" He asked. "There are plenty of other outfits we can try one." But Kise insisted on buying this one. After a few minutes, both Kise and Kuroko were out of the store carrying a few more shopping bags. As they walked by the streat, Kise told Kuroko to wait by the park bench and brought him a vanilla milkshake. "Where are you going?" Kuroko asked. "I just need to take of some personal matters." Kise said with a bright smile. After 15 minutes or so, Kise came back. "Let's go home, Kurokocchi."

The next day Kuroko had received a package. Inside the package was a black Armani suit. Kuroko stared at it with wide eyes. 'Who?' At that moment, Kise walked into Kuroko's room. He noticed the package and said. "Looks like it arrived." Kuroko looked at Kise with confusion. "This is my present for you, Kurokocchi." Kise said. "As a way of thanking you for coming shopping with me." To say Kuroko was surprise was an understatement. "I can't accept this." Kuroko said. "It's such an expensive present." Kise huffed. "I brought this for Kurokocchi." Kise said. "So if Kurokocchi doesn't want it, I'll return it." Kuroko hurriedly stopped him. "No, it's ok." He said. "Thank you." Kuroko gave Kise a bright smile. He was really happy to receive a present from Kise.

_Present Time_

Kuroko never got the chance to wear it. One reason was because the size was too big for him and the other reason was because Kuroko couldn't find a moment in his life to wear it. Kuroko quickly changed his clothes and put away all of his other clothes on the bed. He went to the mirror to check himself and took out a tie to put on. 'Now how does this go again?' Kuroko thought.

_Flashback_

13 year old Kuroko Tetsuya was facing most likely his biggest battle yet. Today everyone has decided to eat outside. The restaurant dress code was an evening suit with a tie. But no matter how hard he tried, Kuroko could not put it in. "Kuro-chin, are you ready?" Murasakibara asked as he came into Kuroko's room."Aka-chin said it's time to go."

"I can't put on my tie." Kuroko said. "Eh, it's easy." Murasakibara said. He perfectly put on Kuroko's tie for him. Kuroko blinked. "How did you do that?" Murasakibara shrugged. "I don't know."

"Could you please teach me?" Kuroko asked. "Eh, but I wanna eat." Murasakibara said. "How about after dinner?" Kuroko asked. "Hmm…Okay" Murasakibara said. After their dinner, Murasakibara spent the next few hours teaching Kuroko how to put on a tie. Eventually, Kuroko got it and brought Murasakibara a bunch of sweets the next day as a thank you gift. Murasakibara was naturally happy with the present and ruffled Kuroko's hair in gratitude. Kuroko swapped his hands away.

_Present_

Kuroko quickly put on his tie and left to meet his brothers. Meanwhile, four of Kuroko's brother's are ready and waiting for the rest to come down. Aomine was reading a Mai-chan magazine and was wearing a Brunello navy suit. He was not wearing any tie because he can't handle the hassle of putting on a tie. Beside him, Midorima and Akashi were playing shogi. Akashi was naturally winning and was wearing a white Dolce and Gabbana suit. On the other hand, Midorima was wearing an emerald Burberry suit. Behind Akashi, Murasakibara was face down on a table. Akashi had told him to restraint his sweet intake so he was a little grumpy. Murasakibara was wearing a black Copper suit with dark purple lining.

"Oh, looks like everyone is already here." Kise said. He was wearing a gold DSquared jacket with black pants. "Not yet." Akashi said. "We are still waiting for Tetsuya." He put down a shogi piece on the board. "I win." He told Midorima. "God dammit." Midorima said in frustration. "That's Mido-chin 10000th loss." Murasakibara said. Midorima glared at him. "I will have you know that Akashi and I have not played that many games. We are currently at our 2500th game." Midorima said. Aomine snorted. "You actually keep track." He asked. "Of course." Midorima and Akashi replied.

Aomine sighed. He looked at Kise. "By the way Kise, isn't that outfit just a little _too_ flashy." Kise blinked. "It is?" He asked looking at his outfit. "I think it's fine." Aomine sighed. "Akashi, how exactly are we travelling to the party?" Midorima asked. "Since it's a party for the high level society, we will be going together." Akashi said. "They know that Ryouta and I are siblings, while Atsushi and Shintarou are our cousins so it should not be a problem. Meanwhile, Daiki and Tetsuya are regarded as our childhood friends."

"Knowing those people, I'm surprised they still haven't published our relationship." Aomine said. "We cannot underestimate Father's power." Akashi said. "By the way, is Tetsuya ready yet?" Everyone looked around for Kuroko but no one can find him. "I'm right here." Kuroko said standing next to Kise. Needless to say, everyone was surprised. "Kurokocchi…" Kise said but stopped talking as he looked at Kuroko. "Yes, Kise-nii?" Kuroko asked but Kise kept staring at him. Kuroko noticed all of his brothers were staring at him as well.

"What's wrong, everyone?" He asked. Akashi regained his composure and said. "Nothing, Tetsuya." He said with a small smile. "You look nice in your suit." Kuroko smiled shyly. "So you finally wore it?" Kise said as they left the room. He wore an expression Kuroko could not read. "Yes, I finally found an occasion." Kuroko said with a somewhat embarrassed smile. "Thank you, Kise-nii." Kise smiled brightly. "I'm glad." He said. "It really suits you." With that, Kuroko and his brothers went inside the limo that was ready for them and went of to the party.

When they got to the party, naturally all the attention went to Kuroko's brothers who went to do their greeting rounds. Kuroko felt it was unnecessary for him so he decided to look around for a familiar face or a place where he can sit. He found Momoi talking to a few people. Kuroko remembered the time when Momoi was almost as nervous about the party as he was, but after coming a few more times she got used to it. Kuroko didn't want to bother her so he left and found a table where he took a seat.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" Someone asked Kuroko. He was a young man around Kuroko's age with black and gray color eyes. Kuroko wasn't used to people noticing at first glance so he didn't know what to say. The boy was still waiting for his response. "No, go right ahead" Kuroko finally said. The man took a seat next to Kuroko. He turned to Kuroko and said. "My name is Takao Kazunari. It's nice to meet you."

"Kuroko Tetsuya. It's nice to meet you." Kuroko said. "Takao-kun is very strange." Takao was certainly not expecting this immediately after an introduction. "Where did that come from!?" He asked. "I'm sorry." Kuroko said. "People don't usually notice me a lot as a result people never start a conversation with me." By the way he spoke, most people would think he was talking about the weather. Takao blinked still absorbing what Kuroko said. Finally Takao laughed and with an amused smile he said "That makes me strange?"

"Yes" Kuroko answered without a hint of hesitation. "I see." Takao said "Oh man, when Shin-chan said you would be politely blunt, he wasn't kidding." Kuroko stared at Takao with a confused expression. "Oh right, sorry, I mean Midorima." Kuroko's eye widened in surprised. "You know Midorima-kun?"

"Didn't he tell you? Him and I work in the same music studio." Takao said. "Although we don't see each other much since he and I work on different kind of music." Kuroko didn't know what to think of this. Midorima...has a friend. Midorima has always been someone who keeps to himself. The only person Kuroko has seen Midorima talk to as a child were Kuroko and his brothers and that was because they are family. The only person outside of family that Midorima had talked to was Momoi but it took them a while before he opened up to her like the rest of them did. And despite all that, here is Takao sitting next to him and talking about Midorima as if he was another one of his normal friends. Kuroko felt his stomach drop. He ignored it. So what if Midorima has a friend. This sort of thing is very common.

Yet Kuroko mouth formed the sentence "You sound close." Before he can stop himself. "You think so?" Takao said with a raised eyebrow. "You call him Shin-chan." Kuroko couldn't help but point out. "Well, I guess we are closer than the first time we met." Takao said with a shrug. "I don't suppose he mentioned how we met."

"Nope" Kuroko said. "Figures." Takao said with a laugh. "Man, that guy is a Tsundere." Kuroko couldn't help but smile a little. "Midorima-kun really isn't very honest with his feelings, is he?" This caused Takao to laugh. "Not even a tiny bit." He said. "Which is why I will do the honor and tell you all about our first meeting."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Done! I was actually going to write more but then I realized that I am on a time constraints not to mention this month is very hectic.


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Everyone! Hope you had a fun time reading the last chapter. I am free for now so, hopefully, updates will be more frequent

_Preview:_

_“Which is why I will do the honor and tell you how we met.” Takao said._

 

Chapter 8

_Flashback_

Takao was feeling thirsty after practicing with the band for so long, so he headed to the vending machine to get a drink. “What to buy?” Takao thought. At that moment someone stood next to him and got something from the vending machine. Thanks to his sharp eyes, Takao noticed the drink was red bean soup. “What a weird choice of a drink.” Takao said before he could stop himself. “Did you say something?” The person asked him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound offensive.” Takao stopped talking as he realized who he was talking to.”

“What is it?” Midorima Shintarou asked staring at Takao with an unimpressed look. “You’re Midorima Shintarou, aren’t you?” Takao said in a quiet voice. “Last time I checked that is my name.” Midorima said. “And you are?”

“Takao Kazunari” Takao said. “I work in this studio with my band. You probably didn’t see me around here since I work at a different genre compared to you.” Midorima didn’t say anything and an awkward silence commenced between the two of them. “Hey, can I ask you something?” Takao asked Midorima. “You already did.” Midorima said.

“Why are carrying around a jar full of jellybeans?” Takao went ahead and asked his question anyway. “It’s my lucky item.” Midorima said. “Lucky item?” Takao asked. “Yes, even though oha-asa said Cancers are in 8th place today but my lucky item will improve my luck.” Midorima said proudly. ‘Oha-asa...the horoscope program?’ Takao thought. ‘This guy listens to horoscope?’ The thought is so ridiculous for him that he couldn’t help but laugh.

“Don’t laugh” Midorima said clearly annoyed. “I’m sorry” Takao said trying to calm down. “It’s just that a guy like you believing in horoscope…” Takao laughed some more. Midorima had enough so he said “Excuse me” and tried to leave. “Wait…” Takao said stopping him. “What is it now?” Midorima asked him. “What do you think about writing music?” Takao asked with a serious expression. Midorima stared at him for a while and said “Nothing much, I do it because people say I’m good at it.”    

“That would explain things.” Takao said with a thoughtful expression. “What?” Midorima said with a raised eyebrow. “It’s just that…” Takao said but stopped talking. “On second thought, come with me.” he told Midorima. “No, thanks.” Midorima said. “Oh come on, a little short visit won’t kill you.” Takao said as he pushed Midorima towards his workplace. Midorima protested but it seems Takao’s ears were not working because he kept pushing Midorima.

“May I know why you brought me here?” Midorima asked after Takao stopped pushing him. He pushed up his glasses. “I’m doing some charity for a school next week and I needed an expert's opinion on how my music sounds.” Takao said. “No, thank you.” Midorima said. “Oh come on, it’s only five minutes.” Takao said. Midorima still refused. “What? Are you scared that my music might end up being better than yours?” Takao said with a baiting tone. Midorima narrowed his eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous” he said. “Then you should have no problem listening.” Takao said with a smile. Midorima sighed. He realized that Takao won’t stop until he listened to his performance. “Fine” Midorima said. “But only 5 minutes.” Takao smiled and started to play a tone.After he was done, he asked Midorima “Did you recognize it?”

“Of course I did.” Midorima said. “The tune is extremely popular among children but…” Takao interrupted him “But the tone is different right?” he said “Naturally, it’s because the feelings I pour into the song is different than that of the creator. Music isn’t just about knowing how to play and playing smoothly but also putting feelings into your music. If your music doesn’t convey any feelings, than you are incomplete as a magician.”

“And why exactly are you telling this to me?” Midorima asked. “I think you already know the reason.” Takao said. “You look like a smart guy after all.” Midorima didn’t say anything. Instead he got up and left the room.

_Present_

“And that is how we met.” Takao said. “Considering your first meeting, I’m surprised by how close the two of you are.” Kuroko said. “Honestly, I wasn’t expecting us to be so close either.” Takao said. “I mean guys who don’t care about the work they are doing ticks me off.” Kuroko grimaced. It is true Midorima is not very passionate when it comes to music. In fact, the reason why Midorima decided to do music was because he had lost his passion for basketball. Midorima was hoping that maybe he could regain the passion by writing music. It was same reason why Kise was focusing on modelling while Murasakibara focused on cooking. “Although that changed after a few weeks.” Takao said. “How so?” Kuroko asked. “Didn’t you listen to his new music?” Takao asked with a raised eyebrow.  Kuroko shook his head. “Really?” Takao said. “You should have a listen because…”

“What is going on here?” A voice interrupted them. Takao and Kuroko turned around to see that it was Midorima. “Hey Shin-chan” Takao said with a smile. “Takao” Midorima said “What are you doing?”

“I was telling Tet-chan how we met.” Takao said happily. “Tet-chan?” Kuroko and Midorima simultaneously said. Takao shrugged. “I figured since Shin-chan is Shin-chan, Tet-chan is Tet-chan.”

“Could I please ask you to not call me that.” Kuroko said with an unimpressed look while Midorima shook his head. “Why?” Takao asked. “Shin-chan doesn't mind his name.” Midorima quickly denied it. “I do not” he said. “I will have you know that I have insisted that you stop calling me that many times. But you are such a stubborn fool that you refuse to listen.” Takao shrugged Midorima off. “Whatever you say, Shin-chan.” He said. “I know you like that nickname, you are just too much of a tsundere to admit it.” Midorima just sighed.

Kuroko watched the two of them converse with his usual poker face. But on the inside, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Takao and Midorima have such a close relationship despite only knowing each other for a short while. Kuroko berated himself for having such thoughts. There is nothing wrong with Midorima having a friend. He was so busy with his thoughts, he almost missed his name being called.

“Yes?” Kuroko said. “Are you alright?” Midorima asked with a look of concern in his face. Kuroko blinked. “I'm alright.” he said. Midorima stared at him as if to confirm if he is telling the truth. “Okay.” Midorima said. “The reason why I came is to tell you that Akashi’s parents are about to give their speech, so Akashi want us to join him at the table.”

“I see.” Kuroko said. He looked at Takao. “What?” Takao asked. “Are you worried about leaving me by myself? Don't worry I'll be fine!” With that, Kuroko and Midorima left him and went to join Akashi and everyone else at the main table.

Once they got to the table, Akashi-san raised his glass and started his speech. It was a typical everyday speech that was around 5 minutes. After that, Akashi-san would give the signal and dinner would be served. Naturally, dinner was fancy and delicious but Kuroko and his brothers would be the last people to eat. They had to go around and see if everyone was alright and enjoying the meal.

Most of the people don't notice Kuroko, so unlike his brothers -who would make causal talk to the guests- Kuroko would simply watch their reaction and leave. After he was done, he would join his brothers for dinner. Kuroko loved the dessert. It was vanilla flavored pudding with caramel sauce. Apparently, it was Murasakibara’s idea to involve it in the menu.

After dinner came the evening dance. Kuroko wasn't very fond of dancing so he stayed at the side and watched his brothers dance. He would be lying if he didn't say that he felt annoyed with all the girls that were dancing with his brothers.

“Tetsu-kun, good evening.” Kuroko turned and saw it was Momoi. She was looking at Kuroko with a shy look. “Good evening, Momoi-san.” Kuroko politely greeted her back. “You look lovely.” Momoi gave Kuroko a bright smile. She was wearing a dark blue strapless dress with a white necklace. “You’re so sweet, Tetsu-kun.” She said. “Dai-chan should learn a thing or two from your book.”

Kuroko tilted his head at that comment. “What did Aomine-kun do this time?” Momoi huffed. “Nothing much except being an Ahomine.” Momoi said. “After everyone finished their greetings, I went to see them at the table. Tetsu-kun wasn’t there for some reason.” She tilted her head at Kuroko with curiosity. “I ended up being engaged in a conversation with someone.” Kuroko responded. Momoi nodded “Anyway, I met everyone at the table and greeted them. They all greeted me back and said that I look nice in my dress including Midorin but…”

“But Aomine-kun didn't say anything.” Kuroko said, already guessing what happened. “Oh no, Dai-chan said something.” Momoi said. “He said I look the same as I do in school. Can you believe him!?”

Kuroko sighed. Sometimes Kuroko can't help but wonder why they only tease Midorima for being a tsundere when Aomine acts just as much of a tsundere as Midorima sometimes. “I’m sure that's just Aomine-kun’s way of saying you look nice.” Kuroko said reassuringly to Momoi. “After all, Aomine-kun doesn't say anything nice to anything except his basketball skills” Momoi snorted. “Yeah, I know.” She said with a sigh. “I have been friends with him for a long time.”

A couple of young girls came to talk to Momoi after that. Once Kuroko was sure Momoi was alright, Kuroko left the area once he said his farewell to Momoi and the surprise young girls. Kuroko headed of to the balcony.

The fresh night air at the balcony was really welcoming. In terms of temperature, the room was far from uncomfortable, but Kuroko still felt the room was very stuffy. Maybe it was because he was in a tuxedo. Whatever the reason may be, Kuroko needed some fresh air. Once he got to the balcony, he was surprised to see Kise at the balcony looking up at the sky.

“Kise-nii.” Kuroko said startling Kise. “Kurokocchi, what are you doing here?”  Kise asked. “I came to get some fresh air.” Kuroko said. “What about you, Kise-nii?” Kise looked up at the sky. “I was looking at the night sky.” Kuroko looked up at the sky. “A full moon.” He said. “It's a once in a month event and not to mention the balcony always has the best view.” Kise said. “I always liked the moon.” 

“Why?” Kuroko asked. “It’s because I always liked how the moon shines so brightly despite being surrounded by the endless black sky.” Kuroko continued to stare at the sky. “But the glow of the moon isn’t from the moon itself.” Kuroko said. “It's borrows the light from the sun to shine.”

“Like how the shadow gets stronger with more light?” Kise asked. Kuroko hummed in agreement. “Would that make Aominecchi your sun?” Kise asked. Thinking that Kise was joking, Kuroko was about to reprimand him, but he noticed the unusual serious expression on Kise’s face and realized that Kise was serious about his question. “No” Kuroko answered. “Aomine-nii isn't my sun.” Kise was confused. “But isn't he your light?” he asked. “Yes, but if I had to describe Aomine-nii in terms of astronomy, he would be a comet.” Kuroko said. “A bright light that is very rare and magnificent to look at.”

‘A light that leaves you just as quickly as it comes.’ Kuroko thought. _“I’ll be fine on my own.”_ Kuroko made a fist with his hands as the memory flew threw him.

“So, who is your sun?” Kise asked. “Kise-nii” Kuroko was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t realize what he said until he said it. Kuroko opened his eyes in surprise and noticed Kise was equally surprised. “I'm your sun?” Kise asked. Kuroko tried to think of ways he can escape this situation. Alas nothing came to his mind, so he said the truth. “When you give a genuine smile, it gives everyone a sense of warmth and comfort.” Kuroko said shyly. “Like a nice spring day after a cold winter.”

Kuroko ducked his head in embarrassment. He can’t believe he said all that! He might as well confess that he likes him! “Kurokocchi” Kise called out to Kuroko. Part of Kuroko didn't want to look up because of his embarrassment but part of him did because of his curiosity. In the end, his curiosity won over him and Kuroko looked up and to his surprise, Kise walked closer to him. Silence surrounded the two as Kuroko waited for Kise to say something. Finally, the silence broke when Kise gave a small sigh. He gave Kuroko a small smile but the emotion in Kise’s eyes were hard to read. Kuroko couldn’t tell what was Kise thinking.

When it looked like Kise was finally ready to talk, the door of the balcony opened and Aomine loud voice as he walked toward Kise and Kuroko. “There you are!” Both Kise and Kuroko jumped at the sound of the door opening and looked at Aomine’s direction. “Aomine-nii” Kuroko said greeting Aomine. “What are you doing here?”

“That should be my line!” Aomine said. “The dance is over and how it's time for the closing speech and a bunch of Kise’s fangirls are wailing because they didn't get the chance to dance with him.” Kuroko widen his eyes. “Time sure flies.” Kuroko said. He looked at Kise. “Let's go Kise-nii.”

“Yeah” Kise said softly. “What were you talking about?” Aomine asked as they were leaving the balcony. Kuroko did not wish to embarrass himself anymore said something he knew that would distract Aomine.

“We were discussing how Aomine-nii would remain single for the rest of his life, if he doesn't change his treatment towards women.” Kuroko said. “What!?” Aomine yelled while Kise snorted in laughter. Kuroko explained to Aomine what Momoi told him. “You have to be more considerate when it comes to women, Aomine-nii.” Kuroko told him. “That damn Satsuki!” Aomine said while Kise laughed even harder. “Why does she keeps telling Tetsu everything!?”

 “Because Kurokocchi actually listens and is considerate towards her unlike you.” Kise told Aomine. “Shut up!” Aomine said. After that, the three of them joined the others as Akashi-san gave his closing speech. Once the speech was complete, it was time to say good-bye. Since Kuroko’s family are the host, they had to wait until everyone left before they could leave. Most of the guest said their farewell to the Akashi couple but there were some that said farewell to Kuroko and his brothers as well like Takao and Momoi.

After the guest left, they checked to make sure that everything was being properly tidied and cleaned up and finally after an exhausting night, Kuroko and his brothers left the venue. Once they got home, Kuroko and his brothers went straight to bed. The Inter High was starting a week from now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Done! Anticlimactic ending but whatever! This chapter was long due so sorry.


	10. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Everyone! Hope you liked the last chapter! Enjoy! Sorry for taking so long with the update. I went on vacation for 8 days.

Chapter 9

The Inter High was starting soon. So basketball practice was really intense. Today’s practice was also one of those mandatory practices. As a result, Aomine also (reluctantly) joined practice. The Generation of Miracles were highly favored to win the Inter High. Kuroko was inclined to agree with the popular opinion. Thanks to Momoi, they were able to gather the information on the teams that _might_ be considered as threats to the Generation of Miracles. To a normal opponent, the 3 teams known as the Kings were strong opponents but they won't be able to stop the GoM. If any team can be considered a potential threat, it would be Rakuzan.

This team consists of 3 of the Uncrowned Generals. Players that would have been considered the best if not for the GoM. They might be able to give a good fight against the GoM but winning is a different matter.

Kuroko sighed as he closed the file. Looks like the Generation of Miracles will have an easy win at the tournament this year. Don't get him wrong. Kuroko would want nothing more but for his brothers to win but it would be nice if they had some serious competition. Someone that could ignite the spark and make them want to be serious about basketball again.

On top of that, none of the teams have what Kuroko is looking for. Of course, it would've been helpful if Kuroko knew what he was looking for. But he's not even sure about that. Kuroko sighed. Kuroko felt a hand on top of his head. “What's wrong Kuro-chin?” Murasakibara said rubbing Kuroko head. “You're sighing a lot.” Kuroko sighed again. “It’s nothing Murasakibara-nii.” Kuroko said. “Really?” Murasakibara said. He was still rubbing Kuroko’s head. Kuroko resisted the urge to sigh again. “Yes, now could you please stop rubbing my head.” Kuroko told Murasakibara. “It's getting annoying.” 

“But Kuro-chin’s hair is soft like cotton candy.” Murasakibara said. “And he smells nice, like vanilla.” Kuroko could feel his cheeks turn red but he willed himself to calm down and said. “Even so, it not nice to pat someone like that, so please stop.” Murasakibara reluctantly complied.

At that moment, Kise came into the room. “Ah, Kurokocchi!” Kise said. “I was looking for you. The coach wanted to talk to you.” He noticed Murasakibara was also in the room. “Oh Murasakibaracchi, I didn't notice you.” He said. “Is something the matter?” Before Murasakibara could say anything, Kuroko intervened. “It's nothing.” He said. “Let's go and see the coach.” With that, Kuroko left the room.

At the gym, Kuroko immediately spotted the coach and went up to him. “Coach.” Kuroko called up to him. There was no indication that the coach was surprised by Kuroko’s appearance except for the slight twitch of his eyebrows. “Ah Kuroko, I need you to track the team's progress in today’s after school practice since Momoi won't be here.” The coach said. Despite his blank appearance, Kuroko was surprised. “Is something wrong?” Kuroko asked. “Oh no, it's nothing like that.” The coach said. “She'll be away scouting information about a team whom we will have a practice match with in a couple of days.”

“May I ask which team we will face against?” Kuroko asked. “I believe the it’s Seirin Basketball club.” The coach said. “They are a basketball club that was formed just recently.” Kuroko blinked. Now that he thinks about it, he did see Seirin High as one of the schools participating at the Inter-High. But there were no information on them, since they clearly didn't pose any threat. “Is it O.K to ask why we are having a practice match?” Kuroko asked.”Especially since the Inter- High is less than a week away.”

“Our club has the record of being one of the oldest basketball club.” The coach said. “As a result, we have a tradition of having a practice match with any new basketball clubs formed after their debut year.” Kuroko had no idea their club had such a tradition. “Anyway, make sure to take of the task I gave you.” The coach said. “Yes sir,” Kuroko said. He went to join Momoi as she was observing practice.

Once afternoon practice rolled by, the coach told everyone about the practice game. Everyone was generally not pleased with the idea of a practice game. “The Inter-High is coming up! What is . “What the hell?” A second year from the second string said. “A practice match!? The Inter-High is only a few days away.” His friend quickly dismissed his concerns. “Who cares! The match is against a no name school. It’ll be a piece of cake.”

“None of this should be either one of your concerns, since neither of you are most likely playing.” A senior in front of them hissed. Kuroko's brothers were also not pleased by the news but for different reasons.

“What a pain!” Murasakibara complained about the practice match during their usual gathering at lunch. Aomine completely agreed with him. “Why do we have to play some no name school?” He asked. “This isn't even going to be practice, let alone a game.” Kise shrugged. “It can't be helped.” He said. “It is tradition” Midorima pushed up his glasses. “I don't care what team we are facing, I’ll crush with my power and Oha-asa.” He said. “Shintarou is right.” Akashi said joining in the conversation after he finished his duties at the student council. “Our main objective is to win, regardless of who our opponent is.” He turned to look at Kuroko. “Tetsuya.”

“Yes, Akashi-nii?” Kuroko said. “Apparently, since the school is far from here, they will arrive a day earlier and will stay in a hotel we accommodated for them.” Akashi said. “As a result, the coach informed me that he wants you to act as a guide for them as long they are here.” Kuroko blinked. He doesn’t mind the idea but he can’t help but wonder how that is going to work since he is...kind of hard to see. “Why does Kurokocchi have to show them around?” Kise asked with a frown. “It’s one of his duties as a manager.” 

“It’s fine Kise-nii, I don’t mind.” Kuroko said. “When is the team arriving?” He asked Akashi. “The match is the day after tomorrow, so they are arriving tomorrow afternoon.”

The next day in the afternoon, Kuroko was sitting at the train station waiting for Seirin to arrive. Around 4, a group of people wearing Seirin High basketball uniforms left the train. Kuroko assumed this was Seirin High. He went up to them and tried to get their attention but it was futile. So he silently stood by and watched the group as they interacted.

“Wow, look at this place!” A guy with a cat-like face said. “I guess it’s expected from such a strong school, right Mitobe?” He turned to the guy next to him who was silently gaping at the school. “Oi you two, stop looking so thunderstruck.” A guy with black hair and glasses said. “It makes you look idiotic.”

“You were gaping while we were inside the train, Hyuga.” Another guy with slanted eyes and black hair said. “Shut up!” Hyuga said. “Honestly, I can’t believe you guys!” A girl roughly around Kuroko’s age said. “We are here because we have a match to play not sightseeing.”

“We know, we know!” Hyuga said trying trying to calm the girl down. “But you have to admit this place is incredible.” The girl sighed. “I guess.” she said concededly. “Anyway, is everyone here?” They all looked around. “Looks like everyone is here.” Hyuga said. “So we can get going?” A guy with black and red hair with funny eyebrows said. “Not yet.” The girl replied. “We still have to wait for our guide.”

“When is he coming?” Hyuga asked. “The funny thing is that we were supposed to meet him as soon we arrive at the train station.” The girl replied. There was silence and then the cat like guy said “Do you think he forgot?” There was even more silence. “Don’t be ridiculous!” The guy with slanted eyes said. “That’s right.” Hyuga said. “It’s true we are not that important but that doesn’t mean they would forget about us,” His teammates gave him a blank expression. “You are not making the situation any better, captain.” His teammates said. The girl sighed. “I’ll just call the school and ask for directions.”

Kuroko decided it was time he tried to make his presence known again. So he stood next to the girl and said. “Hello I am Kuroko Tetsuya. I will be your guide.” There was a silence among Seirin followed by a shocked scream. “Who the hell are you!?” The guy with the funny eyebrows said. Kuroko raised his eyebrow as if he was an idiot. “My name is Kuroko Tetsuya.” He repeated himself. “I am your guide.”

“How long have you been here!?” Hyuga asked. “I have been here since the beginning.” Kuroko replied. “Why didn’t you say something?” They all asked him. “I did say something.” Kuroko said. “But none of you heard me.” Once again there was silence. “Well...in that case…” the girl said awkwardly. “Why don't we introduce ourselves?”

“I am Aida Riko.” she said. “I am also the coach of Seirin High Boys Basketball team.” Kuroko blinked. “I'm sorry.” He said politely to Riko. “I thought you were the manager.” Seirin High looked at Kuroko as if he had a death wish. Riko’s eyebrows twitched. “It's alright.” She said with a stiff smile. “Most people think that way.” She pointed to Hyuga. “This is Hyuga Junpei. He is the captain of the team.” Hyuga nodded his head. “Thanks for having us.” He said. Then she pointed to the guy with the slanted eyes. “This is Izuki Shun. He is the vice-captain of the team.” Izuki raised his hand and said. *“Cheers to cheers.”  Riko ignored him and moved on to the guy with the cat face. “This is Koganei Shinji.” Koganei gave a happy smile and said “Yo.” She moved on to the silent guy standing next to Koganei. “This is Mitobe Rinnosuke. He is our centre.” Mitobe silently nodded his head. “Mitobe says it’s nice to meet you.” She moved to the friendly guy next to Mitobe. “This is Tsuchida Satoshi. All of them are second years.” Tsuchida- like Koganei- gave a friendly smile and said “Hi.”

Then she pointed at a guy with brown hair and friendly eyes. “Our next group of people are all first years.” She said. “This is Furihata Kouki.” Furihata gave a quick bow. “It’s nice to meet you.” She moved on to a guy with shaved short black hair. “This is Kawahara Koichi.” Kawahara waved his hand. “Yo.” Then she pointed to a guy with long black eyebrows. “This is Fukuda Hiroshi.” Fukada gave a nervous smile and said “Hi.” Lastly, she pointed to the guy with the funny eyebrows. “This is Kagami Taiga. He is also our ace.” Kagami yawned and barely gave a glance at Kuroko. ‘He reminds me of Aomine-nii.’ Kuroko thought. Due to Kuroko’s nature, he felt that it only seem fair to introduce himself again. “Once again, I am Kuroko Tetsuya.” He said. “I am your guide and a first year at Teikou High. I am currently a manager for the Teikou High Boys Basketball Team.”

“Manager?” Kagami said looking at Kuroko. “What? Are you too weak to even be a substitute or something?” Riko and Hyuga immediately abolished him. “Don’t be rude!/ Kagami!” Kuroko barely gave Kagami a glance before he answered. “That’s right I am weak. In fact, I am nothing but a mere shadow compared to the strength of our regulars.” Everyone silently stared at Kuroko. “Well then, shall we get going?” Kuroko asked and they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I’ll end it here. Sorry for making it short. I think it’s time jealousy introduced itself.


	11. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! How's it going? Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. Was so busy with life. Stuff like university midterms, homework, family and updating my other fanfic on ff.net. I hope you enjoy this chapter. This might be my longest chapter.

Kuroko guided Seirin High out of the platform. “If you look above the high flat hill, you’ll notice a building at the very top.” He said. “That is Teikou High.” Everyone looked at the direction Kuroko pointed at. “That is quite the climb.” Hyuga said. “Yes.” Kuroko said. “That is why most of the students take the train.”

“The train?” Seirin said. “That’s right.” Kuroko said. “There is a station near the school called Teikou station. It is near the school and there is an express train that goes directly towards the station. That is how we will be going to school.”

‘How fancy.’ Seirin thought. “How do you go to school Kuroko-kun?” Riko asked as they head towards the train that will take them to the school. “I usually take the train to the station at the bottom of the hill and walked the rest of the way to school.” Kuroko said. “Many students who are part of any of the school’s sports club are encouraged to do so.” 

“Is that so…” Riko said. Once they paid their fare for the ride, they immediately got on the train. While on the train, Kuroko explained to them the itinerary. “Once we get there, we will go towards the guest’s office.” Kuroko said. “It’s separated from the actual school and is the place people go to in order to receive permission to enter the school.” Seirin nodded. “Once you enter the office, they will give you a pass. The pass will help you get past the security system.” Kuroko continued his explanation. “As you are aware, our school have some kids who are quiet wealthy. Naturally the parents wanted them to be safe therefore security is tight. Students of the school can enter through their I.D. cards.”

“My brain is melting.” Koganei said. “Talk about over the top.” Izuki said. Once they got off the train, Kuroko guided them towards the guest office. “Be sure not to lose your pass.” Kuroko said. “Otherwise, you cannot enter the school or leave the school.” Seirin nodded. Kuroko lead them to the school’s main gate. There was an electronic barrier like the ones in a train station. Kuroko showed Seirin how to enter and they shortly followed through. “Since you will be staying for the night, I’ll show you all the mandatory places you need to know before we head towards the gym.”

Kuroko showed them the dormitory. “We have students from all over the country attending, naturally they need a place to stay.” He said. “This is also where you will be staying. We had enough room so there is no need for you to stay at a hotel. You can ask the head of the dorm to know which levels are girls and which level are boys.” He showed them the cafeteria. “This is where you can come and eat.” He said. “You can also leave the school and go and eat at town.” The entire time Seirin was silent, mostly because they did not want to miss any important piece of information and they were stunned by the areas Kuroko was showing. Every area looked high class and highly maintained. ‘These damn rich people.’ They thought.

Then, Kuroko took them to the gym. “The gym is open for everyone after club activities.” Kuroko said. “So feel free to use it, if you want to.” With that, he opened the door and Serin watched as people are either practicing drills or having a practice match. All of a sudden, Seirin saw a flash of yellow pass by them. The next thing they knew, their guide was being hugged by a blonde haired guy with a bright smile.

“Kurokocchi!” Kise said as he hugged Kuroko with a happy smile. “Welcome back.” Kuroko gently nudged Kise away. “Kise-kun, why are you not practicing?” He asked. “I was practicing.” Kise said with a pout. “But I lost concentration since Kurokocchi was taking so long.” Kuroko blinked. “Kise-kun, I’ve only been gone for…” he quickly checked the time. “...an hour and a half. It's not a very long time considering my job.” Kise pouted some more. “But knowing that Kurokocchi is watching makes me perform better.” Kuroko couldn’t help but notice that Kise was a lot happier after their conversation. ‘It’s almost like he’s free of something.’ Kuroko thought.

“Kise-kun…” before Kuroko could continue, a voice rudely asked. “Who the hell are you?” It was Kagami. Kise looked surprised, as if this is the first time he noticed Seirin. Hyuga hit Kagami on the head. “Don’t be so rude!” He yelled at Kagami. He turned to Kise and said “Please ignore this idiot.” Kise’s surprised face turned into smile. “Ah...You must be the team we are having a practice match with.” Kise said. “I’m Kise Ryouta.”

“We know.” Everyone in Seirin except Kagami said. “What?” Kagami said as he looked at his team with confusion. “Why? Is he famous?” Everyone gave Kagami a blank look. “You idiot!” Izuki said. “He’s Kise Ryouta of the Kiseki no Sedai!” Hyuga said. “Really!?” Kagami exclaimed looking at Kise. “Yep.” Kise said with a smile. Although Kise’s smiled appeared to be normal, Kuroko knew it was Kise’s “are you an idiot?” smile. Riko hit him on the head. “Bakagami!” She yelled. “Did you not pay attention when we went over the information on Teikou!?” There was a silence before Kagami said “I kinda zoned out.” Immediately, he was kicked in the face by Riko.

Kise had a sweat dropped. “For some reason…” Kise said. “He reminds me of Aominecchi.” Kuroko hummed in agreement. “By the way Kise-kun” Kuroko said looking around. “Where is Coach? I thought he was with the third strings.”

“Oh, that's right!” Kise said. “Since the Inter-High is coming up, the coach is spending more time with the first strings. The coach send me to get Kurokocchi in case he came here.” Had Kuroko been a person that expresses his emotions, he would have been gaping at Kise in shock, instead he simply settled on giving Kise his signature blank stare. “You couldn’t have said this earlier?” He asked Kise. “Sorry.” Kise said with a sheepish smile. “I got so excited seeing Kurokocchi that I forgot.”

Everyone gave Kise a blank look. Afterwards, Kuroko lead Seirin to the first string gym. “We’re here!” Kise said cheerfully. “You sure took your time.” Aomine said with a bored expression. “Sorry.” Kise said with a sheepish smile. “Hurry up and catch up to the practice menu.” Akashi told hm.

Meanwhile Kuroko went to great the coach. “Coach, Seirin High is here.” Kuroko told him. “Ah, good.” The coach said after a slight twitch. He went to Seirin High and asked. “May I ask where your coach is?” He said looking around Seirin High. “She’s right here.” Riko said smugly. Everyone stared at Riko in surprise. After that, whispers broke out amongst the students in the gym. “I see.” Coach Sanada said. “I look forward to seeing what you can do.” Riko gave a kind smile and said. “Likewise.”  

“If you want you can observe our practice.” Coach Sanada said. “I’m sure you have gathered data about us, but seeing is very different from reading.” Riko bowed. “You appreciate your consideration.” She said. Kagami frowned. “They are underestimating us.” Hyuga shrugged. “Considering who we are up against, it makes sense. Though, it does tick me off.”

“Alright everyone, gather around.” Coach Sanada said. “Let’s have a quick 3 on 3 practice game. The game will be a total of 20 minutes broken into two halves with a break around the halfway mark.” Everyone gathered around and waited for the coach to pick his team. The teams were Murasakibara, Kise and Midorima on one team. The other team consists of Aomine, Akashi and a third year first string. “Akashi’s team is going to win.” Someone from the sidelines said. “But the other team has 3 miracles!” His friend said. The person looked at his friend as if he was the biggest idiot. “Have you ever seen Akashi lose something?” He asked.

Momoi stood in the center of the court with a basketball in her hand. “Is everyone ready?” She asked. Aomine and Murasakibara were ready for the tip-off. She tossed the ball. Naturally, Murasakibara got the ball. He passed the ball to Midorima, who was already on the opposition side of the court. Midorima took the ball and went for a three pointer. “So high.” Someone in the sidelines said as they watched the ball’s arc. The ball naturally went in. But as the game went on, Akashi’s team managed to catch up. By the time the first half ended, Akashi’s team was leading with a 10 point lead.

“As expected of the Kiseki no Sedai.” Hyuga said. “They are strong.” Izuki noticed that Koganei wasn’t speaking much. “What’s up, Koganei?” Izuki asked. “Too speechless to say something?” Koganei casually said. “No” Realizing what his words could imply, Koganei corrected himself. “I mean I am amazed by them.” Koganei said. “But that’s not why I am quiet.” 

“What’s up?” Riko asked. “Well...I haven’t seen any of those.” Koganei said. “Those?” His teammates asked. “Yeah...you know.” Koganei said. “The GoM’s magic passses.” Everyone in Seirin widened their eyes. “Magic passes?” Kagami said in confusion. “Oh that’s right, you’re from America so you wouldn’t know.” Riko said. Then, she explained to Kagami about the rumor of the Generation of Miracles having a phantom sixth man. “It’s because during the games whenever they made a pass, instead of it going to where it should, it goes to completely different direction. It’s almost as if someone tipped it while the ball was still travelling.”

“What?” Kagami said. He was even more confused than ever. “It’s hard to explain.” Riko said. “You have to see it to understand it. What I’m trying to say is that it was really something else and completely changed the game yet for some reason I don’t see those passes in this match.” The second half of the game resumed and Seirin went back to watching the match.

Little did Seirin know, their conversation was overheard by someone. To everyone, it would appear that Kuroko was carefully watching the match. But in reality, Kuroko was thinking over what Seirin had just said. _I don’t see those passes in this match_. Kuroko clenched his fist. ‘That’s because...they don’t need me...not anymore.’ Kuroko thought as he bitterly watched the match.

“Look out!” Someone shouted. Kuroko looked up to notice that someone had passed the ball too hard and now it’s coming towards him. As a force of habit, Kuroko swat the ball away from him as quick as a blink of an eye. The ball ended up in Kagami’s surprised hand. “You okay, Tetsu?” Aomine asked as he quickly ran up to Kuroko. “Sorry about that.”

“Aomine-kun still sucks at passing.” Kuroko bluntly told him. “I apologized, didn’t I!?” Aomine exclaimed with a bemused expression. “Besides it’s that guy’s fault for missing the ball.” Kuroko sighed. “By the way, where is the ball?” Kuroko asked looking around. “It’s right here.” Kagami said walking up to Kuroko and Aomine as he casually tossed the ball with his one hand. Kuroko was about to apologize but he was stopped by Kagami who casually said. “Nice pass.” Kuroko blinked. It’s been a long time since someone said that to him. “It wasn’t my intention to pass.” Kuroko told him. “Even so, it was still a pretty good pass.” Kagami said. “A lot better than the pass this guy gave.” He pointed towards Aomine.

Kuroko grimaced as he looked at Aomine. For some reason, Aomine was frowning when Kagami came and talked to them, now that frown had turned into a fierce glare. “If you think you are so gifted, why don’t come and show us what you are made off?” Aomine said with a mocking tone. Kagami gave him an unimpressed smirk. “Sure why not?”

Before things could get out of hand, Kuroko did the first thing he could think off. He pinched both Kagami and Aomine in the same location as their kidney. They both yelped in pain. “What did you do that for, Tetsu/ What the hell do you think you are doing!?” Aomine and Kagami asked Kuroko simultaneously. “I’m sorry.” Kuroko said indifferently. “But Aomine-kun has a match to go back to and I don’t think Seirin will appreciate Kagami-kun interrupting the match.” He pointed towards Riko who looked like she was going to kill Kagami. Aomine tsked. “We are going to win anyway.” He muttered as he went back to the match. Meanwhile, Kagami shuddered as he walked back to Seirin and be told off by his teammates. 

With no surprise, the match ended with Akashi’s team winning. Kuroko was about to join in to help with the clean up but the coach told him to escort Seirin to their rooms. After Kuroko dropped Seirin off, he was about to leave but was stopped by Kagami. “Could you show me where the nearest Maji is?” He asked Kuroko. “I’ll treat you as thanks”.

“You know that fast food is not good for you, right?” Kuroko said. Although, Kuroko wouldn’t mind one of Maji’s famous vanilla milkshake. “Yeah, but I am too lazy to cook.” Kagami said. Kuroko just stared at Kagami. “What?” Kagami asked. He was feeling a bit uncomfortable due to Kuroko’s stare. “You are too lazy to cook so you will eat junk food. Are you trying to kill yourself?” Kuroko said bluntly. Kagami’s eyebrows twitched. “Who cares what I eat!?” He yelled at Kuroko. “Just tell me if you can show me where the nearest Maji is.” Kuroko was unfazed by Kagami’s anger. “Sure.” He said. “I’ll meet you here at 6.” Kagami sighed. “Fine.”

When Kuroko arrived at the dorm in the designated time, he saw that Kagami was already waiting for him. Meanwhile, Kagami was looking for Kuroko. “Honestly.” Kagami muttered. “Where is he?” Suddenly, a voice behind him said. “I’m right here.” Kagami jumped in fright. He turned around and saw it was Kuroko. “You...How long have you been here!?” Kagami yelled. “For a while.” Kuroko said with a blank look. “Then say something!” Kagami told him.

“Shall we get going?” Kuroko asked. “Fine.” Kagami sighed. Kuroko lead Kagami to Maji. “You don’t have to hold back.” Kagami said as he watched Kuroko only drink an extra-large vanilla milkshake. “It’s my treat.” Kuroko took a large sip of his heavenly drink and said. “This is more than enough for me.” He looked at the 5 burgers and drink Kagami ordered for himself. “So you’re only having this for dinner?” Kuroko asked Kagami. “Yeah.” Kagami said. “But I’m going back for seconds since it takes so long to order in one go.” 

“Are you some kind of a mutant?” Kuroko asked Kagami with a blank look. He could give Aomine or maybe even Murasakibara quiet the competition. “What the hell is that supposed to mean!?” Kagami shouted at Kuroko. Unfortunately, this caused a lot the customers in the store to stare at Kagami, much to his embarrassment. “Shh, you shouldn’t shout in public like that.” Kuroko chided him as if Kagami was an innocent five year old.

As a result, Kagami grabbed Kuroko’s head and asked in a furious voice. “Are you making fun of me?” Kuroko was unfazed by Kagami’s anger. He had seen scarier temper-Akashi-amongst his family. “No.” Kuroko told him blankly. Kagami released Kuroko’s head with an annoyed sighed. “Honestly, how can someone be so polite and rude at the same time?” Kuroko sipped his vanilla milkshake. “I’m not rude.” He told Kagami. “I’m just honest.”

“To the point of being blunt!” Kagami told him. “Honestly, I’m surprised you are still alive.” Kuroko was about to refute him when he noticed that Kagami was smiling. Kuroko didn’t know why but he ended up giving a slight smile as well. The two of them resume eating with a peaceful atmosphere. ‘This is nice.’ Kuroko thought. ‘It’s been awhile since I experienced this feeling.’ The peaceful atmosphere was soon interrupted when a voice said. “It really is Tetsu-kun!” Both Kuroko and Kagami simultaneously turned and noticed Momoi and… “Aomine-kun.” Kuroko said. “I’m surprised to see you here.” When Kuroko was in his elementary school, Aomine and Momoi would always go out somewhere together. For some reason, this always left an uneasy feeling in Kuroko’s stomach. It was later on that Kuroko realized that the feeling was jealousy. But he didn’t realize what he was jealous about until much later.

“I could say the same for you.” Aomine told Kuroko with a frown. “What are you doing here? And with the enemy of all people.” Before Kuroko could chide Aomine for saying something like that, Kagami said “You got something to say?” Aomine just smirked at him. “Nothing.” He said. “At least, nothing an idiot like you can understand.” Kagami fisted his palms. “What did you say!?” But Aomine simply ignored him. “By the way Tetsu, isn’t it almost time for you to go home?”

“You’re right.” Kuroko said looking at his clock. At the same time, he was perplexed by Aomine’s behaviour. It’s true that Aomine was not the best mannered of his brothers but his behaviour was exceptionally rude right now. “What? You have a curfew or something?” Kagami asked. Kuroko glanced at Aomine quickly before anyone could notice. Kuroko could always call and inform them that he would be late, but something tells him that Aomine wouldn’t be very happy about that. “My family is very practical about time, especially my brothers.” Kagami looked at Kuroko with a curious expression. “Is that so?” He asked. “Yes.” Kuroko said. Once again, he quickly glanced at Aomine. “Which is why, I must get going.”

“I’ll come with you.” Aomine said. He turned to Momoi. “Sorry about this Satsuki.” He said with a hint of regret. Kuroko frowned. Momoi just smiled. “It’s fine. Say “hi” to everyone in your family for me Tetsu-kun.” Kuroko politely bowed Momoi farewell. As he walked out of the restaurant, Kuroko heard Kagami asked Momoi “So, who are you?” 

While Kuroko and Aomine were walking home, Kuroko felt something warm touch his hand. Kuroko looked down and saw that it was Aomine’s hand. Kuroko was grateful that it was dark because he didn’t want Aomine to notice his red face. Yet, despite his embarrassment, Kuroko couldn’t ask Aomine to let go. After a while, Aomine spoke. “So what were you doing with him?”

“Kagami-kun needed a guide to get around the area since he isn’t familiar with the area.” Kuroko said. “After that, he treated me to Maji to thank me.” After a moment of silence, Aomine simply said. “Is that so?” Due to the lack of light, Kuroko couldn’t see Aomine’s expression, but Kuroko could tell by Aomine’s tone that he wasn’t pleased about something. “Is something the matter?” Kuroko asked Aomine. “Nothing.” Aomine told him. Kuroko knew it was nothing, but if Aomine wasn’t going to talk, then Kuroko won’t force him. They spent the rest of their journey in silence.

The next day, Kuroko was with Seirin High in the 3rd string gym. The coach has given Seirin High permission to use the gym for practice. As Kuroko observed the team, he noticed that they are a very normal team. Aside from a few things, nothing really stands out. “Compare to the Kiseki no Sedai, we must be quite the boring team to watch.” Riko said to Kuroko. “If you are going to compare yourselves to them...then yes, you are pretty bland.” Kuroko told Riko. “How blunt.” Riko said with a sweatdrop. “But…” Kuroko added. “You do have things that the Kiseki no Sedai don’t have.” Riko looked at Kuroko with interest. “For example, your point guard can make moves almost as if he is looking from the ceiling.” Kuroko continued. “Not to mention, your ace is pretty good. I wouldn’t be surprised if someday he would end up rivaling the Kiseki no Sedai in terms of skills.”

“You are quite the observant one.” Riko said with a smirk. “It’s too bad you don’t play. You would have made a very interesting player to watch.” Although Kuroko’s facial expression was blank, he was speechless by what Riko said. “You are right.” Riko told him. “Our point guard- Izuki-kun- does indeed have special eyes and Kagami-kun is definitely unique. We think it’s because he is a returnee from America.” Kuroko blinked. A returnee from America who goes to Seirin High and is part of the Seirin High Basketball club. That sounds a lot like his pen pal. Could it be…?

“I’m sorry but could I please ask a question?” Kuroko said to Riko. “Yes?” Riko said. “Does your club have any other American returnee?” Kuroko asked. Riko tilted her head. “No. Kagami-kun is the only one.” Riko said. “We would know if we had another returnee since our club is so small.” Kuroko didn’t say anything. He was still absorbing the information he just learned. Kagami...is his pen pal! It may only have been a few letters but Kuroko couldn’t help but think that they were already friends. ‘I wonder if I should tell him or does he already know?’ Kuroko couldn’t help but think. ‘I should talk to him, but what should I say?’

Kuroko was so lost in his thought that he didn’t notice the tall presence behind him. “Kuro-chin.” Kuroko was shocked by the voice but he managed to keep his face neutral. “Murasakibara-kun.” Kuroko said after a sigh. “Is something the matter?” Murasakibara frowned. “I’ve been calling Kuro-chin for a while since class is about to start, but Kuro-chin didn’t answer me.” Kuroko quickly looked at the time. Surely enough, class was starting in 15 minutes. “I’m sorry, Murasakibara-kun.” Kuroko said. “I got a little distracted.” Murasakibara hummed. “Does it have to do with that team?” He asked pointing to Seirin. Kuroko quickly shook his head. “No, it’s nothing like that.” He quickly said. Murasakibara hummed but didn’t say anything as he and Kuroko left for class.

“Momoi-san, I’m sorry.” Kuroko said to Momoi when he saw her eating lunch with his brothers. “What?” Momoi asked in confusion. “Why is Tetsu-kun apologizing to me?” With a neutral expression Kuroko said “Aomine-nii had to leave you because of me.”

“Oh...Tetsu-kun doesn't need to worry about that.” Momoi said with a cheerful smile. “I was perfectly fine thanks to Kagami-kun.” This time it was Aomine who spoke up. “Kagami? As in that idiot from Seirin!?” He asked. “Don't be rude.” Momoi told Aomine. “Ah...that reminds me, the conversation we had was pretty interesting. I mean it was mostly about Tetsu-kun.” 

‘Me?’ Kuroko thought. “Why the hell would a guy like him want to know about Tetsu?” Aomine voiced Kuroko’s question. “Why wouldn’t he?” Momoi countered. “I mean its Tetsu-kun.” Aomine gave an exasperated sigh. “So what exactly did he want to know about Tetsuya?” Akashi asked. “Mostly about his life.” Momoi answered. “I told him all that I could tell him.” When everyone gave her the “give us the details” look, she elaborated. “I told him how Tetsu-kun is the youngest in the family of 6 and how he was a member of the basketball team as a player. Also I told him that Tetsu-kun has known Dai-chan and everyone else since elementary school.” Kise tilted his head. “That’s all?” He asked. “Yep.” Momoi said. “Oh, he also asked if Tetsu-kun’s brothers play basketball and I replied with a yes.”

Feeling somewhat satisfied, everyone let the matter drop. Everyone except for one person. Kuroko was thinking about what Momoi said. Could Kagami be thinking what Kuroko was thinking? He did mention that he was hard to notice in his letter and there aren’t many people like him. Although...Kuroko frowned. Why does he care so much about this?

Someone tapped Kuroko on his shoulder. Kuroko looked to see Midorima staring at him with concerned eyes. “Are you alright?” He asked. Kuroko nodded. “I need to use the washroom.” He said quietly. “I’ll come with you.” Midorima told him.

In the bathroom, Kuroko met an unexpected person. “Kagami-kun.” Kuroko called out to the redhead. Kagami shuddered. “Wha-?” He exclaimed and sighed when he noticed Kuroko. “Is everything alright?” Kuroko asked. “Yeah everything is fine.” Kagami said. “What about you? Hanging out with the Generation of Miracles?” Kagami was looking at Midorima as he spoke.

 Midorima raised an eyebrow. “Got something to say?” He asked. “Not really.” Kagami said. Sensing the high tension, Kuroko tried to distract Kagami into a conversation. “How does everyone in your team feel about the game this afternoon?” Kagami scratched his head. “We practiced as hard as we could.” He said. “Plus we got permission to do some extra practice this lunch...which is something that I should hurry to.” Kagami had a weary look in his face. “If you are having extra practice, should I come along as well?” Kuroko asked. Kagami shrugged. “You don’t need to...but it would help if you do.” Kagami said. “Then I’ll come along.” Kuroko said. Midorima looked at Kuroko with disbelief. “Why?” He asked. “He clearly said you don’t need to go along.”  

 “But he also said that it will help if I do come along.” Kuroko said. “If there is a way for me to help them, I want to help them.” Midorima sighed. “Personally, I don’t see why you need to go out of your way for a team you barely know, but it’s your choice.” Kuroko stared at his brother. “Midorima-kun, are you upset?”

“Of course not!” Midorima exclaimed. “You are responsible enough to make your own reasonable decisions. There is nothing that I have to be upset about.” Kagami-who was standing by during the conversation-casually said “You look pretty upset to me.” Midorima immediately snapped at him. “Stay out of this!” Kuroko was surprised by his brother’s uncharacteristic outburst. He was thinking about changing his mind when Midorima said to him. “I’ll inform Akashi since he does tend to worry a lot.”

“Why would he worry about Kuroko?” Kagami couldn’t help but ask. “I told you that’s none of your business!” Midorima said as he left the bathroom. “Sheesh, that’s the third Kiseki no Sedai member I’ve met.” Kagami said. “And if they have anything in common, it’s the fact that they all piss me off.”

“I’m sorry.” Kuroko couldn’t help but apologize. “What the hell are you apologizing for?” Kagami asked perplexed. “They are just worried about me.” Kuroko said. “We’ve known each other since we were kids and ever since I was young, I was not very strong physically.” Kagami awkwardly rubbed his neck. “Yeah, I know. The pink hair girl told me.” He said. “Anyway, let’s forget about that and head to practice. I don’t want Coach to murder me.” Kuroko nodded and left with Kagami to help Seirin with their practice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Done! I wanted to write more!! But this chapter is long enough so I decided to push some content on to the next chapter. Please R&R on what you think.

**Author's Note:**

> Done! This is the prologue of a new story I am currently writing. It's based of off Forbidden by the Eternal Empress. So if you know that story then you are familiar with the premise of this one. Of course a few changes will happen here and there since this story is mine while the other one is not. Hopefully you'll enjoy it.


End file.
